Asaphodes cosmodora

A. cosmodora was described by Edward Meyrick in 1888 as Larentia cosmodora using material he collected at Gordon's Pyramid on Mount Arthur in January.[2][4] George Hudson also discussed this species under the name Xanthorhoe clarata in both 1898 and in 1928.[5][6] In 1971 J. S. Dugdale confirmed the placement of this species in the genus Asaphodes.[7] In 1988 Dugdale confirmed this placement in his catalogue of New Zealand Lepidoptera.[8] Dugdale also proposed that the species Asaphodes bryopis be synonymised with A. cosmodora.[2] The female holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[2]

Meyrick originally described the species as follows:

Female. — 27 mm. Head, palpi, antennae, thorax, abdomen, and legs whitish-ochreous, slightly brownish-tinged; abdomen with a double dorsal series of dark fuscous dots. Forewings with costa hardly perceptibly arched, hindmargin slightly rounded, oblique; whitish-ochreous, slightly yellowish-tinged; a curved irregular black line rather near base, followed by a white line; median band rather darker, tinged with yellowish-fuscous towards edges, margined with dentate black lines and outside these with white, anterior from 1⁄3 of costa to 2⁄5 of inner margin, rather curved, posterior from 2⁄3 of costa to 3⁄4 of inner margin, somewhat prominent beneath costa, and with a more distinct double prominence in middle; two white dentate-edged spots within median band, first beneath costa, containing small black discal dot, second on inner margin; a waved white subterminal line; a fine dark fuscous hindmarginal line interrupted into numerous dots: cilia whitish-ochreous, with dark fuscous bars hardly reaching base. Hindwings whitish-ochreous, with faint darker greyish-tinged lines ; a median band of four more distinct cloudy grey lines, first three straight, fourth well-marked, rather dark fuscous, waved, somewhat prominent in middle, beneath confluent with third; a faint white subterminal line; cilia pale whitish-ochreous, with a faint greyish line tending to form spots.[4]

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[1][9] Along with mountainous areas in the Kahurangi National Park, this species has also been found in the Dansey ecological district in Otago at altitudes of between 1000 and 1300 m.[10]

A. cosmodora can be found on the wing in January and February.[10]