Part 52

"Possibly when the male is known this may prove to be a Dasyuris.

"I took two specimens on the mountain-side above Arthur's Pass at 4,500 feet, in January."--(Meyrick.)

NOTOREAS SIMPLEX, n. sp.

(Plate VIII., fig. 26.)

A single specimen of this species was captured on Mount Arthur in the South Island.

The expansion of the wings is about 1-1/8 inches. The fore-wings are bright ochreous; there are four broad black transverse bands near the base, edged with white, and separated from one another by yellow spaces of almost equal width; the outermost of these bands is situated a little more than half-way between the base and termen; the last two lines become obsolete before they reach the costa; there are no other markings, except a black shading on the termen near the tornus, which is traversed by an obscure jagged paler line; the cilia are white barred with black. The hind-wings are bright orange-yellow, without markings; the cilia are ochreous.

The perfect insect appears in January.

The type-specimen was taken on the mountain-side, at an elevation of about 4,000 feet.

NOTOREAS FEROX, Butl.

(Fidonia ferox, Butl., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1877, 392, pl. xlii. 8. Pasithea ferox, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 88. Notoreas ferox, ib. xviii. 184.)

(Plate VIII., fig. 17.)

Two specimens of this species were captured by Mr. J. D. Enys, at Castle Hill in the South Island.

The expansion of the wings is about 1 inch. The fore-wings are dull brown, with numerous fine, wavy, dusky lines and a faint dot above the middle. The hind-wings are orange-yellow, dotted with black near the base; there is a rather broad STRAIGHT transverse black band near the middle, followed by a much finer wavy line; there are three fine, wavy lines parallel with the termen, and the termen itself is finely bordered with black.

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

NOTOREAS ZOPYRA, Meyr.

(Pasithea zopyra, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 89. Notoreas zopyra, ib. xviii. 184.)

(Plate VIII., figs. 18 and 19, varieties.)

This bright-looking little species has occurred at Mount Arthur and at Mount Hutt, in the South Island.

The expansion of the wings is about ¾ inch. The fore-wings are dark bluish-grey, with numerous slender, wavy, blackish transverse lines, and a distinct blackish dot above the middle. The hind-wings are bright orange, speckled with grey near the base and dorsum; there are from two to four very fine, wavy, broken, blackish, transverse lines, and the termen is narrowly bordered with black.

{75}The perfect insect appears in January, frequenting shingle flats on the mountain sides, at about 4,000 feet above the sea-level. It flies rapidly in the hottest sunshine, and, when it alights on the stones, is extremely difficult to find. The brilliant hind-wings, which are very conspicuous when the moth is flying, quite disqualify the eye from detecting the extremely obscure object, which the insect instantly becomes when resting with its fore-wings alone exposed. This method of increasing the value of protective tints by means of bright colours temporarily displayed was very clearly described, I believe for the first time, by Lord Walsingham in his address to the Fellows of the Entomological Society of London, in January, 1891. It is certainly well exemplified by this and several other species of the genus Notoreas, and it will be at once noticed by the collector, how extremely difficult it is to follow these active little moths, as they fly with short and rapid flight over the grey rocks and stones, with which their fore-wings so completely harmonize; the momentary glimpse obtained of the brilliant hind-wings so completely deceives the eye, that there is much more difficulty in marking the spot where the insect alights, than would have been the case if the brilliant colour had never been displayed.

NOTOREAS VULCANICA, Meyr.

(Pasithea vulcanica, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 89. Notoreas vulcanica, ib. xviii. 184.)

(Plate VIII., fig. 24.)

This species has been taken in the North Island at Makotuku, and the Kaweka Range, in the Hawkes Bay District.

The expansion of the wings is 1 inch. The fore-wings are very dark blackish-grey; there is a rather narrow black transverse line near the base, another at about one-third; then a small black dot, followed by a wavy, rather broad, black band, and two cloudy wavy black transverse lines near the termen. The hind-wings are very dark orange; there is a large black basal patch, then a broad black band joining the basal patch near the dorsum; beyond this is a fine black line, then another broad black line followed by a very fine wavy line of the orange ground colour; the termen is very broadly margined with black.

The perfect insect appears from January to March. Mr. Meyrick states that he found it resting on the roads near Makotuku.

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

NOTOREAS BREPHOS, Walk.