Part 60

(Zermizinga indocilisaria, Walk. 1530. Hybernia boreophilaria, Gn., E. M. M. v. 61. Hybernia indocilis, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 97.)

(Plate IX., fig. 31 , 32 .)

This species has occurred plentifully in the neighbourhood of Christchurch.

The expansion of the wings of the male is 1¼ inches, of the female ½ inch. All the wings are pale grey, speckled with darker grey. The fore-wings have four obscure wavy transverse lines; the first near the base, the second and third near the middle, rather close together, and the fourth near the termen, much interrupted; there is a series of black dots on the termen. The hind-wings have two very faint transverse lines, and a series of black terminal dots; the termen of the hind-wings is slightly scalloped. The cilia of all the wings are grey. The female has the wings extremely small and quite useless for flight; in colour and markings they resemble those of the male, except that the transverse lines are black and sharply defined.

The perfect insect appears from July to January. Mr. R. W. Fereday states that the male is found plentifully at rest on the bare ground, amongst Leptospermum, and the female on the stems.

Described and figured from specimens kindly given to me by Mr. Fereday.

Genus 3.--CHALASTRA, Walk.

"Face with a slight cone of scales. Palpi rather long, porrected, roughly scaled. Antennæ in male bi-pectinated. Fore-wings with vein 6 from below 9, 7 from below angle of areole, 10 very shortly touching 9, 11 free, 12 very shortly touching 11. Hind-wings normal."--(Meyrick.) (Plate II., figs. 51 and 52.)

This genus is represented by one species only.

I have made a very careful examination of several denuded specimens of Chalastra pelurgata, and I find that in the fore-wings veins 9, 10, and 11 rise almost from a point. Vein 10 afterwards approaches closely to 9, but does not actually touch it, and consequently does not form a true areole. Vein 12 also appears to me to be free.

CHALASTRA PELURGATA, Walk.

(Chalastra pelurgata, Walk. 1430. Itama cinerascens, Feld. cxxxi. 1. Stratocleis streptophora, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 106.)

(Plate IX., figs. 33 and 34 varieties, 35 and 36 ditto; Plate III., fig. 21, larva.)

This species is very abundant in the neighbourhood of Wellington. It has also occurred at Palmerston North, and is probably common throughout the whole of the North Island. In the South Island it has been taken in the Otira Gorge, and at Dunedin, Otara and Invercargill.

The expansion of the wings is about 1-3/8 inches. The fore-wings of the male vary from pale orange-brown to dull yellowish-brown; there is a doubly curved dark brown transverse line near the base; a broad straight line a little before the middle; a very strongly curved line a little beyond the middle, and a less strongly curved line near the termen, often composed of a series of triangular white dots edged with dark brown; all these lines are much stronger on the costa, and are sometimes almost obliterated elsewhere. The hind-wings are pale yellow, with several brown-edged white spots at the tornus, and an indistinct line parallel to the termen. The apex of the fore-wing is considerably produced, and there is a large rounded projection on the termen. The hind-wings have several small projections on the termen. In the female the fore-wings are pale yellow or orange, the transverse lines and white spots are usually more conspicuous, and the projections on the termen of the fore- and hind-wings larger.

This is a very variable insect, especially in the male, some specimens of which sex are very much clouded and dappled with dark brown both on the fore- and hind-wings. {89}Many of these darker forms might readily be taken for distinct species, when compared with the pale orange-brown variety, but a good series of specimens presents numerous intermediate forms which completely connect these extreme varieties. The females also vary, but are never as dark as the males.

The larva feeds on Todea hymenophylloides, a fern which grows in shady places in the depths of the forest. The length of the caterpillar when full grown is about 1¼ inches. It is very variable; some specimens are dull brown, with a row of green or pale brown lunate spots down each side, and a dark brown line down the back. Others are bright green, with a diagonal reddish-brown stripe on the side of each segment; the segmental divisions are reddish-brown, intersected by numerous very minute whitish lines.

The pupa is enclosed in a loose cocoon on the surface of the ground.

The perfect insect appears from November till March, and is very common in forest regions. It may often be dislodged from the dead fronds surrounding the stems of tree-ferns, and is also met with in great abundance towards the end of summer on the blossoms of the white rata.

Genus 4.--SESTRA, Walk.

"Face smooth. Palpi short, rough-haired beneath, porrected. Antennæ in male stout, serrate, shortly ciliated. Fore-wings with vein 6 from below 9, 7 from below angle of areole, 10 rising out of 9 above origin, anastomosing again shortly with 9, 11 anastomosing shortly with 10, 12 anastomosing shortly with 11. Hind-wings normal."--(Meyrick.) (Plate II., fig. 53, neuration of fore-wing of Sestra humeraria.)

We have two species in New Zealand.

It will be seen that my figure of the neuration of Sestra humeraria does not precisely agree with Mr. Meyrick's description. The differences in the results arrived at are probably due to the variability in structure of veins 10, 11 (and 12), mentioned when dealing with the characters of the entire family. Similar slight discrepancies also occur in connection with the three following genera.

SESTRA HUMERARIA, Walk.

(Macaria humeraria, Walk. 940. Lozogramma obtusaria, ib. 985. Cidaria obtruncata, ib. 1421. Sestra fusiplagiata, ib. 1751. Amastris encausta, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 105. Sestra humeraria, ib. xviii. 184.)

(Plate X., figs. 1 and 2 varieties; Plate III., fig. 20, larva.)

This species is very common, and generally distributed throughout both the North and the South Islands; it also occurs plentifully at Stewart Island.

The expansion of the wings is 1-3/8 inches. The fore-wings are pale plum-colour; there is an indistinct, curved, brownish transverse line near the base; a straight dark brown line across the middle, and a curved series of blackish dots beyond the middle; the apex is pointed, and the termen has a strong projection a little above the middle. The hind-wings are ochreous, with a series of minute brownish dots across the middle.