Poecilasthena schistaria, the kanuka looper, is a moth in the family Geometridae.

[2] The wings vary from very pale brown to rather dull purplish-brown with numerous jagged, darker transverse lines.

[4] They are dull green with a white more or less black-edged band down each side.

There is a thin central white line on the back, and a narrow yellow line half-way between it and the lateral white band.

[5] Pupation takes place in a slight cocoon below the surface of the earth.