[3][1] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1898 book New Zealand Moths and Butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera) and his 1928 book The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand under the name Notoreas brephos.

[4][5][2] In 1986 Robin C. Craw proposed placing this species within the genus Paranotoreas.

[6] The lectotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

The fore-wings are dark grey; there is a wavy black line near the base, two similar lines enclosing a very broad central area, with a black dot a little above the middle; beyond this there is a more or less distinct wavy band of pale grey or brown; there are several obscure wavy blackish lines near the termen.

The hind-wings are bright orange, dotted with grey near the base and dorsum, with from two to four more or less distinct wavy black transverse lines, generally rather narrow; the termen is moderately broadly bordered with black.