Trachypepla spartodeta

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1883 using a specimen collected in Wellington in January.[2][3] A fuller description of this species was given by Meyrick in 1884.[3] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[4] The female holotype, collected in the Wellington Botanic Garden, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[5]

Illustration of female by Hudson.

Meyrick described this species as follows:

Female. — 15 mm. Head and palpi pale greyish-ochreous, terminal joint of palpi with two obscure dark fuscous rings, second joint obscurely banded with dark fuscous. Antennae fuscous. Thorax pale greyish-ochreous, mixed with dark fuscous. Abdomen grey. Anterior and middle legs dark fuscous, with pale greyish-ochreous rings at apex of joints ; posterior legs whitish-ochreous, slightly infuscated. Forewings elongate, rather narrow, costa moderately arched, apex nearly pointed, hindmargin hardly rounded, very oblique ; greyish-ochreous, somewhat mixed with dark fuscous ; markings cloudy dark fuscous ; a small spot at base of costa, and another on inner margin near base ; a transverse line from 1⁄4 of costa to 1⁄3 of inner margin, forming a right angle outwards in disc, where it is mixed with ferruginous, and preceded near inner margin by a tuft of raised scales ; a narrow elongate spot along central third of costa, connected with a raised ferruginous spot in middle of disc, beneath which is a raised tuft and some irregular dark fuscous spots ; a transverse line proceeding from costa at 4⁄5 obliquely inwards, a little beneath costa sharply bent outwards, and thence curved to anal angle; three or four small cloudy marginal spots round apex: cilia pale greyish-ochreous, mixed with dark fuscous. Hindwings pale grey, apex and hindmargin darker ; cilia grey- whitish, with two faint grey lines.[3]

This species is variable in the intensity and depth of its general colouration as well as in the markings on its forewings.[4]

The Wellington Botanic Garden, type locality of T. spartodeta.

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in Wellington as well as in Taupo, Dunedin and Southland.[6][7] Hudson was of the opinion that this species was rather rare.[4]

This species inhabits native forest.[4]

The adults of this species are on wing from November until January.[8]