This species was first described in 1923 by George Hudson using material collected by F. S. Oliver at Stoney Peak, Glenorchy near Lake Wakatipu.

The fore-wings are very broad, with the termen slightly waved and hardly oblique, pale brownish-ochreous strongly tinged with grey, with the principal veins strongly marked in ochreous; there is a very short brownish-black basal streak; the first and second lines are much interrupted, strongly dendate, and very indistinct; there is an obscure dentate line between these; the subterminal line is double, strongly waved, brownish-black, with a very pronounced sinuation below apex; the inner subterminal line is the stronger, especially below costa and on veins 5, 2 and 1; there is a series of conspicuous terminal dots.

The head and thorax are greyish-ochreous speckled and dotted with blackish-brown, the latter with a broad brownish-black band and on each side.

[11] When the larvae emerge from their eggs, they eat into the leaves or buds of their host, hiding from predators.

[3][10] This moth species prefers to live in high alpine habitat and have been found in fellfields.