Tingena pharmactis

This species was first described in 1905 by Edward Meyrick using a specimen he collected in January at the Mount Arthur tableland at 4000 ft.^[3] Meyrick originally named this species Borkhausenia pharmactis.^[3] In 1915 Meyrick discussed this species under the name Borkhausenia pharmactis.^[4] In 1926 Alfred Philpott discussed and illustrated the genitalia of the male of this species.^[5] In 1928 George Hudson also discussed and illustrated this species in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.^[6] In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species within the genus Tingena.^[2] The female holotype is held at the Natural History Museum, London.^[2]

Meyrick described the species as follows:

♂ . 15 mm. Head fuscous, sprinkled with pale yellowish hairs. Palpi whitish-yellowish, sprinkled with dark fuscous. Antennae whitish-yellowish, ringed with dark fuscous. Thorax ochreous-yellow, anteriorly suffused with fuscous. Abdomen grey. Fore-wings elongate, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen slightly rounded, rather strongly oblique; deep ochreous-yellow, finely sprinkled throughout with brown; extreme costal edge dark fuscous towards base : cilia ochreous-yellow, somewhat sprinkled with brown. Hind-wings dark grey; cilia whitish-grey, with grey basal shade.^[3]

This species is endemic to New Zealand.^[1] It has been observed in the Nelson/Tasman regions at Mount Arthur and at the Cobb Valley as well as in the Wellington region at Kapiti Island.^[3][6][7]

The adults of this species are on the wing in December.^[6]