Part 39

This remarkable species has occurred at Wellington in the North Island, and in the South Island at Christchurch, Ashburton, Dunedin and West Plains.

The expansion of the wings is about 1½ inches. All the wings are pale yellowish-brown, with many straight oblique parallel dull brown lines; on the fore-wings there are three lines broader and more isolated than the rest, running from the apex to the dorsum; on the hind-wings the lines near the middle are rather thicker than the others, and have a broad space on each side of them; all the lines are clearly marked on the abdomen, so that each line appears to be continuous from one side of the moth to the other.

The perfect insect appears from October till May, and frequents the Cabbage Tree Palm (Cordyline), on which its larva probably feeds. According to Mr. Fereday the moth always rests on the dead leaves of the plant, keeping its wings in such a position that the lines are continuous with the parallel veins of the dead leaf, which they precisely resemble in appearance. We have, I think, in this species a most instructive instance of special adaptation to surrounding conditions; and the action of natural selection, in preserving favourable variations of colour and habit, appears to be here unmistakably indicated. Had our investigations been confined to the examination of cabinet specimens only, we might {54}have long remained in the dark as to the explanation of such an unusual type of wing-marking.

VENUSIA XANTHASPIS, Meyr.

(Hermione xanthaspis, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 61. Aulopola xanthaspis, Meyr., ib. xviii. 184.)

(Plate VI., fig. 32 .)

This handsome insect has occurred in the South Island at Mount Arthur and at Lake Guyon.

The expansion of the wings is a little over 1 inch. The fore-wings are bright yellow; there is a broad pale reddish-brown band on the costa; a conspicuous oval dark brown spot above the middle, often touching the costal band; a double series of minute brown dots near the termen. The hind-wings are pale yellow, with a double series of minute brown dots parallel to the termen.

The perfect insect appears in January, February, and March. It is apparently a rare species. Mr. Fereday has six specimens taken at Lake Guyon, and I have two specimens captured on the Tableland of Mount Arthur, at an elevation of about 3,500 feet. These comprise, I believe, all the specimens at present taken.

VENUSIA UNDOSATA, Feld.

(Cidaria undosata, Feld. cxxviii. 2. Epiphryne undosata, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 60.)

(Plate VI., fig. 33 , 34 .)

This neatly marked little insect has occurred at Napier and Palmerston in the North Island; and at Nelson, Mount Hutt, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Lake Wakatipu in the South Island.

The expansion of the wings is hardly an inch. All the wings are pale yellow with a variable number of fine jagged reddish-brown transverse lines, which are usually most distinct towards the termen. The fore-wings have a broad band of reddish-brown along the costal edge; a blackish dot above the middle just touching the costal band, and a small brown mark near the apex. The hind-wings have a minute black dot a little above the middle.

This species is rather variable: in some specimens the transverse lines are much broader, forming bands of reddish-brown; in others the whole of the wings are dull reddish-brown, except a small yellow area near the base; whilst others are entirely dull greyish-brown with the transverse lines very faint, intermediate varieties between all these forms also occurring.

The larva, according to Mr. Purdie, is about ½ inch long, feeding on the Ribbonwood (Plagianthus betulinus). The ground colour is green, with the dorsal and lateral stripes white. The dorsal stripe is interlined with short black dashes, and there is a dark blotch about the ninth segment. The dorsal and lateral stripes may be margined with purplish-red. The under side is green. The larvæ were found in April.

The perfect insect appears from November till February, and frequents forest. According to my experience it is rather a local species, although plentiful where found. Mr. Meyrick states that it is "very common in bush, from August to February, and in May."

Genus 10.--ASAPHODES, Meyr.

"Face with a tuft or hardly projecting scales. Palpi moderate, porrected, rough-scaled. Antennæ in male bi-pectinated, apex simple. Thorax glabrous beneath. Posterior tibiæ with all spurs present. Fore-wings with areole simple. Hind-wings with vein 8 anastomosing with cell from near base to beyond middle."--(Meyrick.) (See Plate II., figs. 35 and 36, neuration of Asaphodes megaspilata.)

We have five species of this genus in New Zealand.

{55}ASAPHODES ABROGATA, Walk.

(Aspilates abrogata, Walk. 1075. Fidonia (?) servularia, Gn., E. M. M. v. 43. Thyone abrogata, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 61. Asaphodes abrogata, Meyr., ib. xviii. 184.)

(Plate VII., fig. 21 .)

This species has occurred at Murimutu in the North Island; and in the South Island at Kekerangu, Christchurch, Castle Hill, Dunedin, and Invercargill.

The expansion of the wings is 1 inch. All the wings are ochreous with pale brown markings. The fore-wings have a conspicuous dot in the middle, a wavy transverse line a little beyond the middle, another line just before the termen, and a brown shading on the termen broader near the apex of the wing. The hind-wings have a brown central dot and two transverse lines. The cilia of all the wings are brownish.

This species varies considerably in the distinctness of the brown markings, and there is occasionally a transverse line near the base of the fore-wings.

The perfect insect appears in February and March, and frequents open country, often at elevations of from 2,000 to 4,000 feet above the sea-level. It is, I think, rather a local species, though abundant where found. I met with it in considerable numbers on the chalk range near Kekerangu in the Marlborough Province.

ASAPHODES SIRIS, Hawth.