This species was first described by Francis Walker in 1858 and named Bryophila temperata.

[3] In 1898 George Hudson discussed this species under the name Leucania temperata.

[5] In 1917 Alfred Philpott, thinking he was describing a new species, named it Aletia accurata.

[9] In 2017 Robert Hoare undertook a review of New Zealand Noctuinae and placed this species in the genus Physetica.

[1] The female holotype specimen was collected by J. F. Churton, likely in Auckland, and is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

Third joint of the palpi porrect, linear, rounded at the tip, about half the length of the second.

Fore wings slightly clouded, with darker cinereous in the disk, slightly marked with black along the cosla and on the veins; orbicular and reniforra marks slightly bordered with black; the former nearly elliptical; the latter oblong-subquadrate, hardly contracted in the middle; marginal points black; ciliae dark cinereous, with white streaks.