Physetica homoscia

Dugdale described the larva of this species as follows:

Body colour pattern in black and yellowish or greenish brown, variegated. Dorsal area longitudinally, darkly marbled, seta D1 on a small, and D2 on a large white patch, the D2 patch connected with a prominent pallid subdorsal line; zone between this and spiracle longitudinally marbled; spiracle on a dark patch, subspiracular line broadest behind, narrowest just in front of spiracle; subventral and ventral zones pallid, obscurely marbled; ventral line obscure to prominent. Meyrick originally described the species as follows:

Male. — 38 mm. Head, palpi, antennae, thorax, abdomen, and legs grey; antennae with short triangular transverse dentations (1⁄2), strongly ciliated; thorax with moderate anterior crest; anal tuft ochreous-tinged. Forewings moderately dilated, costa almost straight, apex obtuse, hindmargin crenulate, obliquely with two tolerably distinct series of white dots, preceded and followed by black marks, before first and beyond second lines; lines dark-margined, tolerably defined; orbicular and claviform hardly traceable; reniform indicated by whitish lateral margins; subterminal faintly paler, not dark-margined, waved: cilia grey. …

This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is found throughout New Zealand, including in the Auckland Islands.

The larvae are very active and drop to the ground when disturbed. The adult moths are on the wing from September to June and are attracted to light.

Larvae of P. homoscia feed on Ozothamnus leptophyllus and Ozothamnus vauvilliersii. Hudson states that the larvae are parasitised by a fly species. The larvae pupate in the soil, and the pupa life stage lasts for approximately 6 weeks.

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