Part 16

The eggs are deposited early in November. At first they are white in colour, but soon become dull brown, with two concentric circular markings. The young larva closely resembles that of the Melanchra insignis, but is much more sluggish. It feeds on grasses and other low plants.

In about six weeks' time it is full grown, when it still resembles the caterpillar of Melanchra insignis, except that its colouring is considerably darker, and a number of rust-red spots are situated on the subdorsal line. This larva also appears to spend the daytime underground, only coming abroad in the evening to feed. The pupa is concealed in the earth.

The perfect insect may be occasionally found at rest on tree-trunks in the forest, where it is very hard to discover, as it almost exactly resembles a little patch of moss or lichen. Specimens are sometimes noticed in the middle of winter, so there is little doubt that this species hibernates. It occurs in spring as late as November, and as the pupæ emerge during the latter end of January the insect is about for most of the year.

MELANCHRA LITHIAS, Meyr.

(Mamestra lithias, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 17.)

(Plate IV., fig. 33.)

Two specimens of this species were taken at Castle Hill by Mr. J. D. Enys, and are now in Mr. Fereday's collection.

The expansion of the wings is 1¼ inches. The fore-wings are slaty-brown; there is a broken, black-edged, white, transverse line near the base, and another at about one-third; the orbicular is indicated by a conspicuous black-edged white crescent, the reniform is large, oblong, white, margined with {18}black, and crossed by two grey lines; there is an interrupted white terminal transverse line and a series of black dots on the termen. The hind-wings are grey, paler towards the base; the cilia of all the wings are slaty-brown.

Described and figured from a specimen in Mr. Fereday's collection.

MELANCHRA MUTANS, Walk.

(Hadena mutans, Walk., Noct. 602. H. lignifusca, ib. 603. Mamestra angusta, Feld., Reis. Nov., pl. cix. 18. M. acceptrix, ib., pl. cix. 19. Hadena debilis, Butl., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1877, 385, pl. xlii. 6. Mamestra mutans, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 17.)

(Plate IV., fig. 34 , 35 , 36 , variety; Plate III., fig. 15, larva.)

This is a very abundant species throughout the country.

The expansion of the wings is about 1½ inches. The fore-wings are pale reddish-brown in the male, grey in the female; the markings are black and somewhat indistinct; the orbicular spot is nearly round, the claviform semicircular, the reniform large and not margined with black towards the termen; a line runs parallel with the termen, and emits on its outer side a tooth-like mark; inside this line the ground colouring of the wing is usually lighter. The hind-wings are grey, darker in the male; the cilia are white with a cloudy line. The head, thorax, and abdomen are brown in the male, grey in the female. The antennæ are slightly bipectinate in the male.

This species varies much in the ground colouring of the fore-wings, especially in the male, where it ranges from pale pinkish-brown to dark brown. The wings of the female are frequently much clouded with dark grey.

The larva is rather stout, with the anterior segments wrinkled. It varies much in colour; the dorsal surface is usually reddish-brown; the lateral line is broad and black; a series of subdorsal stripes are also black; the ventral surface is green. Sometimes these markings are hardly visible, and the larva is entirely green, whilst occasionally the brown colouring predominates.

It is a sluggish caterpillar, and feeds on low plants (Plantago, &c.) during the whole of the spring and summer. It often frequents the luxuriant growth surrounding logs and stones which have long been left undisturbed.

The pupa state is spent in the earth or amongst moss on fallen trees. When this stage occurs in the summer it is of short duration, but in the case of larvæ becoming full grown in the autumn, the regular emergence does not take place until the following spring.

The moth may be observed on mild evenings nearly all the year round, but is commoner during the summer. It is an extremely abundant species, and is very often seen resting on tree trunks during the daytime, in which position the colouring of both sexes will be seen to be very protective.

MELANCHRA AGORASTIS, Meyr.

(Mamestra agorastis, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 18.)

(Plate V., fig. 30 .)

This species has occurred at Wellington in the North Island, and at Akaroa and Lake Guyon in the South Island.

The expansion of the wings is about 1½ inches. The fore-wings are rich reddish-brown, with dull yellowish-white markings; the claviform is small, grey, margined with dark reddish-brown; the orbicular is also rather small, grey, margined with dull white; the reniform is rather large, oblong, dark grey, margined rather broadly with yellowish-white. The hind-wings are dark brown. The antennæ of the male are shortly pectinated.

This species very closely resembles a dark specimen of Melanchra pelistis so far as the female is concerned, which is the only sex I have had an opportunity of examining.

The perfect insect appears in February and March. It is a scarce species.

{19}MELANCHRA PICTULA, White.

(Dianthoecia pictula, White, Tayl. New Zeal., pl. i. 3. Meterana pictula, Butl., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1877, 386, pl. xlii. 1. Mamestra pictula, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 18.)