This species was described by Alfred Philpott in 1928 using a male specimen collected at the Mount Arthur tableland track at 3000 ft.[3] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1939 book A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand.

Antennae brown mixed with ochreous, ciliations in ♂ 2.

Forewings elongate, narrow, costa moderately arched, apex rounded, termen strongly oblique; ochreous; strigulated throughout with dark purplish-fuscous; a blotch of purplish-fuscous on costa at middle and a similar one on dorsum beneath; fringes fuscous-grey.

Hindwings dark fuscous; fringes fuscous-grey, paler apically.

[3]This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected at Mount Arthur.