About Sestra flexata (Walker, 1862)
Sestra flexata (Walker, 1862) has pale yellow, cylindrical eggs. Mature larvae of this species are most commonly described as dark brown, 25 to 30 mm (approximately 1 to 1+1⁄4 inches) long. An alternative description notes larvae are brownish-green with yellow tones on the underside, a brown line along the back, two additional brown lines along each side, small black markings, and a number of short bristles. Walker described adult female Sestra flexata as cinereous fawn-colour, ochraceous on the underside, with slender, very short palpi that are obliquely ascending, and a yellowish abdomen. The forewings are acute and subfalcate, with a blackish shade covering nearly half the middle space and extending along the distinctly angular exterior border. Hindwings are yellowish, unmarked, with the fore portion of the exterior border slightly truncated. The body length is 6 lines, and the wing length is 16 lines. Hudson described adult Sestra flexata with a wingspan of 1+1⁄4 to 1+3⁄8 inches. Forewings are pale plum-colour, with an indistinct curved brownish transverse line near the base, a straight dark brown line across the middle, a curved series of brownish dots beyond the middle, a pointed apex, and a strong projection on the termen just above the middle. Hindwings are ochreous, with a series of minute brownish dots across the middle. This species is endemic to New Zealand, and can be found throughout the country including the North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and the Chatham Islands.
