This species was first described by Edward Meyrick using specimens collected at Mount Arthur at altitudes of 4000 ft in January and named Simaethis analoga.

[4] In 1928 George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.

[7] The male lectotype specimen, collected at Mount Arthur, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

The dark bronzy-fuscous forewings are rather elongate-triangular and the costa is gently arched, the apex obtuse and the termen slightly rounded and somewhat oblique.

There is a very short white detached transverse mark before the middle of the termen, and sometimes a dot on the tornus.