This species was first described by Alfred Philpott using specimens collected in bush on a hillside in January at Waiau River at Sunnyside in Southland.[3] Philpott originally named the species Borkhausenia serena.[3] In that publication Philpott also studied and illustrated the genitalia of the male of this species.[3]George Hudson discussed this species in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand under that name.[4] In 1988 J. S. Dugdale synonymised B. comosaris with B. serena and then placed B. serena in the genus Tingena.[2] The male holotype specimen is held in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.[2]
Description
T. serena illustrated by George Hudson.
Philpott described this species as follows:
♂ ♀. 13–15 mm. Head and palpi whitish-ochreous mixed with brown. Antennae brown annulated with ochreous, ciliations in male ½. Thorax brown, apices of tegulae pale ochreous. Abdomen grey annulated with brown. Legs ochreous, more or less infuscated. Forewings moderate, costa moderately arched, apex rounded, termen very oblique, whitish-ochreous; costa rather broadly brown on basal ⅓; an irregular brown irroration all over wing, usually obsolete on dorsal region at base and beneath and following brown costal basal area; this brown irroration tends to form a spot above dorsum at before ½ and an inwardly-oblique striga from tornus; an angled subterminal brown line faintly indicated: fringes pale ochreous with several rows of dark points. Hindwings greyish-fuscous: fringes grey with an obscure darker basal line.[3]
Distribution
This species is endemic to New Zealand.[1] This species has been observed in Southland and Dunedin.[3][5]
Behaviour
The adults of this species is on the wing in December and January.[3][5]
.jpg)
