About Helastia semisignata (Walker, 1862)
Walker originally described this species as follows: Cinereous, finely speckled with black. The holotype specimen lacks a head. The forewings have several toothed blackish lines, some of which are most noticeable along the veins, where they form black points. The central area of the forewing has no lines, and contains a black, elongated transverse discal point. The inner, outer, and submarginal lines are made up of whitish points on the veins. Marginal lunules are black. The costa is convex, and the outer border is barely convex. The hindwings are paler, with indistinct lines. The body length is 4 lines, and the wing span is 12 lines. Species within the genus Helastia can be difficult to tell apart from one another. However, H. semisignata normally has orange scaling on its forewings, and its wing veins have black and white patches. This species is endemic to New Zealand, and is only found in the North Island. H. semisignata occurs in a wide range of habitats at a range of altitudes, including native forest, scrubland, subalpine herbfields, and coastal areas. It also lives in modified developed areas such as parks and gardens.
