About Austrocidaria gobiata (Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875)
Hudson described the larva of Austrocidaria gobiata as follows: it reaches about 1 inch in length, is moderately stout, and slightly narrows at both ends. Its color is pale dull brownish-green, with obscure streaks and mottling in pale reddish-brown and blackish. It has two very large humps on the 8th and 9th body segments, its skin is noticeably wrinkled, and it has a small number of scattered short bristles. Hudson noted that A. gobiata larvae are well adapted to hide among the twigs of their food plant, Coprosma areolata.
Hudson also described the adult of this species. The wingspan is 1+1⁄4 inches. The forewings have a rather strongly arched costa and a slightly oblique termen, and are a very pale purplish-grey marked with dark brown and pale reddish-brown. Two very oblique, wavy dark brown transverse lines are located on the dorsum at approximately the 1⁄8 and 1⁄3 positions, extending a little more than halfway toward the costa. Several fainter reddish-brown lines sit between these two lines. A very conspicuous oblique line runs from the apex of the forewing to the middle of the dorsum; this line is double near the middle of its path, where it encloses a small oval space. On either side of this oblique line, there are numerous paler brown wavy lines that become considerably stronger and more reddish toward the termen. All veins are dotted with brown.
The hindwings are very pale purplish-grey, with a strong wavy dark brown transverse line below the middle, and numerous fine paler brown transverse lines that are redder toward the termen. All of these lines fade out toward the costa. The head, thorax, and abdomen are pale purplish grey with brown transverse markings that largely align with the lines on the forewings and hindwings. Adult A. gobiata are variable in appearance, but most specimens can be identified by the dark diagonal dash on the tips of their forewings. This species can be told apart from its sister species Austrocidaria anguligera because A. gobiata has smooth wing margins.
This species is endemic to New Zealand, and has been observed on the North Island, South Island, and Stewart Island. It lives in native forest, and has also been collected on wind-swept scrubby hilltops where its host plant grows in abundance. The larvae of this species feed on Coprosma areolata.
