If anyone should know this nocturnal creature, it is Mr Patrick, who discovered the country's only known biennial moth at Dansey Pass in April, 1979.
One of New Zealand's 27 known ghost-moth species, it usually lives in moss bogs.
And it has since been named after him: Heloxycanus patricki.
"It turned out that they were not only undescribed but belonged to an undescribed genus," Mr Patrick said.
He had immediately realised the moth was new, he said.
"I'll never forget that feeling.
"It's a beautiful sight - it's a gorgeous species."
He has since shown the moth is widespread, in moss bogs from sea level to alpine wetlands, but only in Otago-Southland.
Unusually, it appears only once every two years, and then only in late autumn and into winter.
The adult moth has a wingspan of up to 4.5cm, but cannot eat, having no mouth parts.
It swiftly breeds and lives only a few days.
Mr Patrick, who is a former manager at the Otago Museum and former director of the Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery in Alexandra, has been left scratching his head over many aspects of these moths.
He recently encountered them again at Borland Mire, west Southland and believes another undescribed ghost-moth species lurks in south and west Southland.
Male ghost moths found in those parts of Southland are greyer and less colourful than they are near Dunedin and in Central Otago, the Catlins and Northern Southland, where their wings are often bright orange, with a white stripe and some black.
Mr Patrick is convinced the moths are "effectively immune from predators".
By appearing only every second year, the moths deny predators, such as birds, the chance to form a well-remembered "search image" in order to target them.
Mr Patrick also notes Dunedin is the native-moth capital of New Zealand, home to more than 750 of the country's more than 2000 native-moth species.
This is far more than any other comparable city area in New Zealand.
The greater Dunedin area is home to more than 820 species.
