Part 8

We have at present but one New Zealand species.

MISELIA PESSOTA, Meyr.

(Miselia pessota, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 29.)

(Plate V., fig. 26.)

This little species has occurred at Wellington in the North Island, and at Lake Coleridge and Rakaia in the South Island.

The expansion of the wings is 1 inch. The fore-wings are dull purplish-brown; there is an oblong black mark at the base of the dorsum containing a slender curved white line; the orbicular is rather small, round, margined first with dull white and then with black; the reniform is large, oblong, dull white, margined with pale ochreous towards the base of the wing; there is a conspicuous oblong black mark between the orbicular and reniform stigmata. The hind-wings are dull grey, with the cilia paler.

The perfect insect appears in January. One specimen was taken at sugar in the Wellington Botanical Gardens, and two specimens are recorded from Canterbury. It is evidently a scarce species.

Genus 2.--ORTHOSIA, Ochs.

"Head rough-scaled; eyes naked, ciliated. Antennæ in male ciliated. Thorax with or without anterior crest. Abdomen not crested.

"A considerable genus of nearly universal distribution, though mainly found in temperate regions of both hemispheres. The imagos are almost all autumnal, and their yellow and ferruginous colouring is doubtless adapted to the autumn tints of falling leaves."--(Meyrick.)

Represented in New Zealand by three species.

ORTHOSIA MARGARITA, Hawth.

(Orthosia margarita, Hawth., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xxix. 283.)

(Plate V., fig. 31.)

This species was discovered at Wellington by Mr. E. F. Hawthorne.

The expansion of the wings is about 1-1/3 inches. The fore-wings are dark brownish-black and rather glossy; there are several obscure dark marks near the base; the orbicular is oval, oblique, brownish-yellow, slightly darker in the middle; the claviform is almost obsolete; the reniform is rather large, bordered with dull white towards the base and termen; beyond the reniform there is a very distinct wavy transverse line; another line is situated near the termen emitting several black wedge-shaped markings from its inner edge. The hind-wings are shining white and iridescent, with the veins black and the costa and termen narrowly shaded with black.

Described and figured from specimens in Mr. Hawthorne's collection.

{7}ORTHOSIA COMMA, Walk.

(Mamestra comma, Walk., Noct. 239; Butl., Voy. Ereb., pl. ix., 6. Graphiphora implexa, Walk., Noct. 405. Hadena plusiata, ib., Suppl. 742; Nitocris bicomma, Gn., Ent. Mon. Mag. v., 4. Orthosia comma, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 30.)

(Plate V., fig. 27 , 28 ; Plate III., fig. 11, larva.)

This is apparently a common and generally distributed species. It has occurred plentifully at Wellington, Blenheim, Christchurch, and Rakaia.

The expansion of the wings is about 1½ inches. The fore-wings are dark grey crossed by four wavy, black-margined, transverse lines; beyond the outermost of these lines there is a black band running parallel with the termen, and beyond this again a broader band of the ground colour; the orbicular spot is very minute and dull white; the reniform, which is surrounded by a black shading, is large, yellow towards the costa, and white towards the termen. The hind-wings are dark grey. The females are generally much darker than the males, some specimens having the fore-wings very dark brownish-black.

Both sexes vary a good deal in the depth of colouring, but the markings appear to be quite constant.

The larva is dark brown, tinged with pink; the subdorsal region is paler, there are a series of diagonal blackish stripes on each segment, and the anterior portions of the larva are much darker than the rest of the body.

The specimens I reared were fed on lettuce, but I expect that the caterpillar feeds on low plants generally. It is full grown about January. The pupa state is spent in the earth.

The moth appears in January, February, and March. It is very common at the flowers of the white rata, and may also be attracted by sugar and by light.

ORTHOSIA IMMUNIS, Walk.

(Tæniocampa immunis, Walk., Noct. 430. Cerastis innocua, ib. 1710 (locality probably erroneous). Agrotis acetina, Feld., Reis. Nov. pl. cix. 6. Orthosia immunis, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 30.)