Scythris niphozela

This species was originally described by Edward Meyrick in 1931 using specimens collected by Stewart Lindsay at Birding's Flat in December.[2][3] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1939 publication A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[4] The holotype specimen is held at the Canterbury Museum.[3]

Meyrick described the species as follows:

♂︎♀︎. 9-10mm - Head, palpi, thorax dark grey, more or less mixed or suffused white. Abdomen iridescent whitish grey, ♂︎ anal tuft tinged ochreous, ♀︎ basal third suffused blackish above, apex blackish beneath. Forewings elongate-lanceolate ; dark grey posteriorly or nearly wholly suffused white ; an irregular fascia of blackish suffusion from dorsum before middle ; not reaching costa ; a slightly narrower suffused blackish fascia from tornus, hardly reaching above middle ; in whiter examples both these may be connected with costa by irregular grey marks ; cilia grey, round apex, more or less suffused white. Hindwings 4 or 5 coincident ; bronze-grey-whitish, apex greyer ; in ♀︎ a thick streak of black suffusion along dorsum from near base to near middle ; cilia light ochreous-grey.[2]

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[5][1] Other than the type locality of Birdings Flat at Kaitorete Spit,[2] this species has been recorded as being found at Long Valley Ridge in the Manorburn Ecological District, Central Otago in February.[6][7] However S. niphozela is regarded as being endemic to the Kaitorete Spit area.[8]

This species is on the wing in October to December.[4][8]

Larvae of this species has been found on Carmichaelia appressa, an endemic species of plant at the Kaitorete Spit.[8] The moth inhabits the foredune area of this land formation and is regarded as being endemic to the gravel barrier present there.[8][9]