Asaphodes recta

This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1905 using specimens collected from Ida Valley and named Xanthorhoe recta.^[3] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species under that name in 1928.^[4] In 1939 Louis Beethoven Prout placed this species in the genus Larentia.^[5] This placement was not accepted by New Zealand taxonomists.^[6] In 1971 J. S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Asaphodes.^[7] In 1988 Dugdale confirmed this placement.^[2] The male holotype specimen, collected at Ida Valley in Otago, is held at the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.^[2]

Philpott described this species as:

♂, 31 mm. Head, thorax, and abdomen ochreous. Forewings moderate, greyish-ochreous, irregularly suffused with reddish especially towards costa, markings brownish; first line before 1⁄3, curved, anteriorly edged with grey; median bandformed of three or four thin lines with narrow spaces of ground-colour between; the first of these is almost straight and rather darker than the others; the posterior edge of the last one is irregular with two strong projections below middle; this is followed by a narrow band of pale-greyish, almost white in some examples; a broad band of brown from 4⁄5 of costa to tornus, posteriorly waved and followed by a waved pale line; cilia long, brownish-pink. Hind wings long, narrow, pale-yellow; a terminal series of indistinct linear brownish spots; cilia pink.^[3]

This species is endemic to New Zealand.^[1] Along with the type locality, specimens had also been collected near Dunedin and Invercargill.^[3][4]

The preferred habitat of this species is open tussock grassland in Otago and Southland.^[4][3]

The adults of this species are on the wing in February and March.^[4]

Larvae of this species have been reared on species in the genera Ranunculus and Bellis.^[8]