This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1912 using a male specimen collected by George Hudson on the banks of the Routeburn at the head of Lake Wakatipu in February and named Carposina morbida.

[4][5] Hudson, in his 1928 publication The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand, discussed this species under that name.

Palpi 2+1⁄2, porrected, ochreous-whitish, basal half suffused with dark olive-grey.

Forewings elongate, rather narrow, posteriorly somewhat dilated, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen straight, rather oblique; silvery-whitish-ochreous, irregularly strewn with ochreous scales, costa and dorsum somewhat sprinkled with grey; a small brownish-ochreous basal patch, edge parallel to termen; six small shots of grey suffusion on costa between this and apex; tufts brownish-ochreous, posteriorly white—viz., one beneath costa at 1⁄3, preceded by a dash of black irroration, one beneath this towards dorsum, a larger one in disc beyond these, preceded by a black dash on submedian fold, two towards costa in and beyond middle edged with black beneath, one below middle edged with black above, and a ridge on transverse vein, irregularly edged with black anteriorly, between these in middle of disc is an elongate patch of grey suffusion; some scattered black irroration crossing wing at 5⁄6; cilia whitish, with two greyish shades.

[2] Other than the type locality, this species has been observed in the Auckland and Wellington regions in the North Island, and at Mount Hutt, Arthur's Pass, the Homer tunnel area and Waiho Gorge in the South Island.