This species was first described by Edward Meyrick from a specimen collected by George Hudson at Gollan's Valley, Wellington in December.

[3] George Hudson described and illustrated this species under that name in his 1928 book The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand.

[5] The holotype specimen of this species is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

Forewings suboblong, costa anteriorly gently arched, with rather broad fold from base to beyond 1⁄3, termen sinuate, oblique; ferruginous-brown suffusedly reticulated with glistening greyish-violet; a narrow suffused ochreous-whitish median streak from base to termen, similar streaks on veins 6 and 7, on vein 3, and space between this and tornus suffusedly irrorated ochreous-whitish : cilia ferruginous-brown mixed whitish, tips whitish, at apex a violet-grey bar.

[6] This species has been classified as having the "At Risk, Naturally Uncommon" conservation status under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.