Part 17

Family TORTRICIDÆ.

Isonomeutis amauropa (Plate XIII., fig. 2, 2a larva).

This odd little moth may be occasionally seen basking in openings in the forest, and usually flies away {95}with lightning speed when an attempt is made to capture it.

The larva lives under the scaly bark of the matai-tree, feeding on the soft, juicy inner bark and sap. In colour it is light yellowish white, darker on the back, some specimens becoming quite pink on the dorsal surface. When full-grown it encloses itself in a tough silken cocoon, covered on the outside with fragments of wood, from which the moth emerges in about a fortnight's time.

The sexes differ considerably in appearance, the male having much broader wings, and darker in colour than those in the female from which the illustration (Fig. 2) is taken.

This insect is probably single-brooded, as the larva may be found feeding in the trees during the whole of the winter.

Family TORTRICIDÆ.

Cacoecia excessana (Plate XIII., fig. 5, 5a larva).

This is the commonest species of Tortricidæ in New Zealand, and may be found almost without interruption during the whole of the year.

The larva (Fig. 5a) feeds on a great variety of plants, the common manuka being probably the most usual food for the species when in a state of nature. It now, however, eats numerous European plants, including honeysuckle and occasionally the fruit of the apple, but further evidence is required on the latter subject before we can really consider it as actually injurious in that direction.

In colour this caterpillar is light green with a yellow line on each side, but varies considerably; it feeds between several rolled-up leaves, in which it is afterwards converted into a pupa whence the moth emerges in about three weeks' time.

The perfect insect is also excessively variable and is often more or less suffused with yellow. It is most abundant in {96}the middle of summer, and may be taken at light, or in the daytime at rest on fences and trees.

Family TORTRICIDÆ.

Ctenopseustis obliquana (Plate XII., fig. 6).

This little moth is occasionally noticed at rest on garden fences during the autumn. Its larva inhabits the interior of the peach, feeding on the kernel, which appears to exactly meet its requirements, the caterpillar being full-grown as soon as it has completely devoured the nut. Before assuming the pupa state this insect provides a ready means of escape for the future moth by drilling a small hole through the hard shell and pulp of the peach to the air; it also spins a slight cocoon inside the stone, the pupa resting in the place formerly occupied by the kernel, in which position it is often discovered. The only noticeable mischief produced by this insect is delay in the ripening of the fruit. In fact all the infected specimens which I have seen were quite hard and green, whilst other fruit from the same tree had reached complete perfection.

Family TINEIDÆ.

Endrosis fenestrella (Plate XII., fig. 7, 7a larva, 7b pupa).

This common species may be observed in almost any house in New Zealand, and is often mistaken for the dreaded "clothes moth" (Tinea tapezella), which it somewhat resembles in general appearance. Its larva (Fig. 7a) is very destructive, feeding on dried peas, amongst which it creates great havoc, drilling numerous holes through them and spinning a large number together, in the centre of which the caterpillar undergoes its change into a pupa (Fig. 7b), from which the moth emerges in about a fortnight's time. This insect should be destroyed whenever seen, as there is no doubt that much loss will be caused by its ravages in the future. It also infests bee-hives.

{97}Family TINEIDÆ.

Oecophora scholæa (Plate XIII., fig. 6, 6a larva).

This dull-coloured insect is extremely abundant during the early summer.

The larva feeds on the roots of various plants, forming numerous white silken galleries in the earth where it resides. In colour it is dark chocolate-brown with a yellowish head and white markings. It is very large, considering the size of the future moth, full-grown specimens often measuring as much as 10½ lines in length. About the end of September these caterpillars are transformed into pupæ, and the moths emerge in a month or six weeks' time.

The perfect insect may be often disturbed amongst brushwood. It is very sluggish on the wing and usually drops to the ground, where it is very inconspicuous. It also has a habit of running into any crevice immediately on the approach of an enemy. This peculiarity is shared by the other members of the genus Oecophora, of which there are large numbers in New Zealand.

Family TINEIDÆ.

Semiocosma platyptera (Plate XII., fig. 8, 8a larva, 8b pupa).

This is one of the largest of the Tineidæ found in New Zealand, measuring fully fifteen lines across the expanded wings. Its larva (Fig. 8a) is abundant under the bark of dead henau trees (Eleocarpus dentatus), feeding on the soft inner surface, but leaving the hard wood untouched. In colour it is pale yellow, the head and prothorax are dark brown and corneous, and the remaining segments are provided with two horny warts, from which numerous hairs arise; its legs are all very small, and the caterpillar is considerably attenuated posteriorly; it is very active, wriggling about with great violence when disturbed.

{98}The pupa (Fig. 8b) is enclosed in a compact cocoon, constructed of minute fragments of wood, firmly woven together with silk, and attached to the inner surface of the bark, where it may be soon found by careful searching, and the finest specimens may thus be easily reared in captivity.

The perfect insect appears about November, and may be often observed at rest on the trunks of trees; its pale hind-wings are completely concealed by the dark upper pair, which render its discovery very difficult. The sexes may be at once distinguished by their size, the males being much smaller than the female (Fig. 8) and usually lighter in colour.