Holocola parthenia

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1888 and named Strepsicrates parthenia.^[4][2] He used two specimens collected in December in the Waitākere Ranges beaten from a small leaved shrub in Kauri forest.^[4] George Hudson discussed this species both in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand as well as in the 1939 book A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand, under the name Spilonota parthenia.^[5][6] In 2010 the Inventory of New Zealand Biodiversity listed this species under the name Holocola parthenia.^[1] The male lectotype is held at the Natural History Museum, London.^[2]

Meyrick described this species as follows:

Female. — 13 mm. Head, palpi, antennae, and thorax whitish. Abdomen grey-whitish. Legs dark fuscous, ringed with whitish, posterior pair whitish. Forewings elongate, costa moderately arched, apex round-pointed, hindmargin sinuate, rather strongly oblique; light brownish-ochreous, tinged with grey towards inner margin; a broad white streak along costa from base to apex, extremities pointed, margined beneath by a blackish streak from before middle to apex; about eight fine short dark fuscous strigulae on posterior half of costa; an erect leaden-metallic streak from anal angle, and another from middle of hindmargin, both touching margin of costal streak : cilia pale brownish-ochreous, with a blackish apical spot. Hindwings grey-whitish; cilia whitish.^[4]

The black markings on the adults of this species is variable both in colour intensity and the extent of the markings.^[5]

This species is endemic to New Zealand.^[1] As well as its type locality of the Waitākere Ranges in the Auckland Region, it has also been observed in Whangārei, Wellington and in Southland.^[4][7][6]