[3] Philpott used three specimens collected by Robin John Tillyard in November at Te Wairoa Falls.

Head ochreous, with a dense spreading frontal tuft of long coarse hair.

Forewings rather broad, apex broadly pointed; ochreous irrorated with dark fuscous; three or four incomplete black strigae on apical 1⁄4: cilia ochreous, with a black bar marking apex of the wing.

[2] In 1923 Philpott published a paper where he attempted to find differences between the species within the Sabatinca genus by studying the venation of their hindwings.

[5] Its nearest living relative is S. incongruella which is found in the northern parts of the South Island.

[2] S. demissa is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the northern half of the North Island.