About Nymphostola galactina (Felder, 1875)
Nymphostola is a monotypic moth genus that has been classified in either the family Oecophoridae or the family Depressariidae. The genus was erected by Edward Meyrick in 1883. Its only species is Nymphostola galactina, commonly known as the tarata flat moth, which was described by Cajetan Felder, Rudolf Felder and Alois Friedrich Rogenhofer in 1875. This species is endemic to New Zealand.
For both males and females of Nymphostola galactina, wingspan ranges between 23 and 26 mm. The head, palpi, antennae, thorax, abdomen, and legs are all snow white. The forewings are broad, with a strongly arched costa, an obtuse apex, and a straight, non-oblique hindmargin. The forewings are white, with a faint greenish or emerald tinge between the veins. All veins are marked at regular intervals with faint, minute dark grey dots. There is a more conspicuous dark grey dot in the disc beyond the middle, and a very slender, indistinct dark grey hindmarginal line; the forewing cilia are white. Both the hindwings and their cilia are also white. Nymphostola galactina is considered a very delicate and conspicuously distinct species.
