Austramathes fortis

The wingspan of the male A. fortis is 29 – 37 mm where as the wingspan of the female is 29 – 41 mm.[1] George Hudson described the species as follows:

The expansion of the wings is a little over 1 in. The fore wings are dull brownish-ochreous finely speckled with black; there is a conspicuous hook-shaped black mark close to the base, a sharp black mark on the costa at about 1/4, a clouded wavy line near the middle of the wing, darker on the costa, a sharp black mark on the costa just beyond this, followed by a wavy band of dark brownish-black, very much broader on the costa than on the dorsum, and bordered with a pale wavy line towards the termen. The hind wings are dark brownish- black. The cilia of the fore wings are brownish-ochreous, of the hind wings dark - grey. The head and thorax are brownish-ochreous, and the abdomen grey. There are two conspicuous black marks on the anterior portion of the thorax.[4]

A. fortis is found in both the North and the South Islands but has yet to be recorded at Stewart Island.[1] Adults can be found on the wing during the months of July to March.[1]

The larvae of this moth has been shown to feed on several Melicytus species including M. crassifolius, M. alpinus, M. macrophyllus and M. novae-zelandiae.[1]