This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1931 using a specimen collected by S.C. Patterson in Whangārei in January and named Scoparia ustiramis.

[3][2] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1939 book A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand.

Forewings elongate-triangular, termen slightly rounded, oblique; grey, costal and dorsal thirds suffusedly irrorated white; an irregular streak of black irroration beneath cell from base to end; a slenderer black streak in cell from middle to end, terminating in a white dot on angle of cell, and five rather irregular black lines on veins to termen, black dots on ends of terminal veins: cilia whitish-grey, a light grey subbasal line.

[3]The wing pattern of this species is variable and the holotype has strong dark longitudinal streaks on its forewings.

[5] This species has been classified as having the "Data Deficient" conservation status under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.