Thambotricha

T. vates was described by Edward Meyrick in 1922 from a specimen collected in Wellington by C. E. Clarke.[3] George Hudson discussed and illustrated the species in his 1928 book The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand.[4] The holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[5] The vernacular name of this species, "wonder-haired prophet", comes from a translation of its Latin name.[6] The name is as a result of the male having very long hairs on its antenna.[6] The male holotype specimen of T. vates is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[5]

Illustration of T. vates by George Hudson.

Meyrick described the species as follows:

♂︎ 14mm. Head pale ochreous, side-tufts bronzv. Palpi bronzy-fuscous. Antennal ciliations 8. Thorax purple-bronzy-ochreous. Abdomen whitish-ochreous. Fore wings elongate, narrowed towards base, costa sinuate, apex pointed, termen faintly sinuate, oblique ; pale yellow overlaid with purple-bronzy-ochreous, costal edge pale yellow from 2⁄5 to 4⁄5 ; discal stigmata remote, rather dark fuscous, an additional dot beneath and rather before second, these two partially surrounded with pale yellowish ; a slender terminal streak of purple-fuscous suffusion ; cilia whitish-yellowish, on costa suffused purple-ochreous, darkest above apex, on dorsum pale ochreous tinged purple, cilia extending to before middle of dorsum. Hind wings and cilia ochreous-whitish.[3]

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[2][7] Along with its type locality of Gollan's Valley in Wellington,[4] this moth has also been collected at the Waipoua State Forest in Northland,[8] in the Hakarimata Range near Ngāruawāhia in the Waikato,[8] in Taranaki,[9] at Katikati in the Bay of Plenty,[6] and near Aorere River in Nelson.[4]

Little is known of the biology of this species.[6][10] T. vates are on the wing in March.[3] This species appears not to attracted to light and has been caught by sweeping during daytime.[6][8] Males of the species have been however been collected at night with the use of a pressure lamp.[8]

The host species of the larvae of this moth is unknown.[6][10] This species prefers native forest habitat.[6]

This species has been classified as having the "At Risk, Naturally Uncommon" conservation status under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.[11]