Possibly one of twelve species present in Northland. Local species are Odontria xanthosticta (sensu Given 1952), O. cassiniae, O. sandageri, with O. carinata found on the Three Kings Islands in the far north. Also present are O. borealis, O. sylvatica and a species similar to O. velutina. However, there are further species which, at present, can not be easily distinguished on external features from O. xanthosticta. Three synonyms of O. xanthosticta, published by Given (1960), need to be considered as names for these species: O. piciceps, O. cinnamomea and O. punctulata. O. piciceps is used here for the common Auckland species.

There is now some doubt to which beetle species the name xanthosticta should be applied. The original specimen of O. xanthosticta was thought to have been collected from the Bay of Islands but it may have come from Wellington or even Otago as its collection site was not recorded on the specimen or when the name was published. O. striata was published with Odontria xanthosticta and its locality was recorded. Once the published names are properly associated with the present known populations then the others can be formally named.