Mallobathra tonnoiri is a moth of the family Psychidae.[1] It was described by Alfred Philpott in 1927. This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the South Island. Adults are on the wing in December.
This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1927 using a male specimen collected by André Léon Tonnoir at Lake Brunner in December.[2] [3] M. tonnoiri was discussed and illustrated by George Hudson in 1939.[4] J. S. Dugdale confirmed the placement of this species in the genus Mallobathra in 1971.[5] The male holotype specimen is held at the Canterbury Museum.
Philpott described this species as follows:This species is similar in appearance to M. strigulata but lacks the large dark dorsal patch on the wings of M.strigulata. It is also similar in appearance to M. fenwicki but is larger and darker.
This species is endemic to New Zealand. This species has been observed in the West Coast and the Wellington regions and has also been collected at Homer.
Adults are on the wing in December.