Asaphodes imperfecta

This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1905 as Xanthorhoe imperfecta.[3][4] Philpott used specimens he collected in the West Plains suburb of Invercargill.[4] In 1971 John S. Dugdale assigned Xanthorhoe imperfecta to the genus Asaphodes.[5]

Philpott described A. imperfecta as follows:

29 mm. Head, thorax, and abdomen brownish-ochreous. Fore wings ochreous, in male often reddish on costa and about apex. The usual lines are in the male reduced to irregular blackish costal spots ; in the female these costal spots give rise to very faint transverse waved lines. White spots follow most of the dark costal spots, and there is a fairly conspicuous pair at ​²⁄₃ ; cilia ochreous, barred with blackish. Hind wings ochreous ; cilia greyish-ochreous mixed with darker. Nearest to X. ceyrota, but easily distinguished by the brighter ground-colour and the white costal spots.[4]

Asaphodes imperfecta is endemic to New Zealand.[2][6] The species was regarded as being rare and local to the southern part of the South Island.[7] It is now regarded as being locally extinct in its type locality of Invercargill.[8] George Vernon Hudson mentions that it was also present in Dunedin.[7]

Adult moths had been collected in forest[8] and Hudson stated the species preferred low lying swampy forest habitat.[7] Hudson also stated that adult moths were on the wing in December and January.[7]

The host plants of this species are unknown.[9]

This moth is classified under the New Zealand Threat Classification system as being Nationally Critical.[1] It has been hypothesised that this species is under threat as a likely result of habitat loss, given the drying out of ecosystems as a result of wetland drainage which in turn ensures the land no longer supports the plants the species lives on in its larvae stage.[10]