About Ichneutica propria
Ichneutica propria was first described by Francis Walker, who characterized the species as pale fawn-coloured. Its thorax is slightly darker than the rest of the body, and bears a very faint band of black dots. The forewings have several faint black discal lines, a deep black basal stripe, and a black discal stripe shaded with brown located just in front of the basal stripe; exterior and marginal black dots are present in the typical pattern for the genus. The hindwings are slightly ash-grey, with paler cilia. Walker recorded the body length as 5 lines and wing length as 12 lines. For adult specimens, the wingspan of males ranges from 31.5 to 39 mm, while the wingspan of females ranges from 30 to 36 mm. Specimens of I. propria can be mistaken for faded individuals of Ichneutica atristriga, but I. atristriga lacks both the distinctive marking on the prothorax and the black mark that runs through the middle of the forewing found on I. propria. I. propria is endemic to New Zealand. In the North Island, this species is only known to occur in Tongariro National Park and Pureora Forest. It is widespread across the South Island, though it is encountered more often on the eastern side of the island. This species is very common and widespread in montane to alpine grassland habitats.
