Part 11

"The expansion of the wings of the female is 26 mm. (about 1 inch). Head, palpi, and thorax pale greyish-ochreous, somewhat mixed with yellow-greenish, and densely irrorated with fuscous. Antennæ whitish-ochreous annulated with fuscous. Abdomen grey-whitish, densely irrorated with fuscous. Legs dark fuscous, apex of joints ochreous-whitish, middle and posterior pair irrorated with grey-whitish. Fore-wings with costa gently arched, termen waved, slightly rounded, oblique; pale greyish-ochreous, mixed with yellow-greenish, and thinly sprinkled with fuscous, tending to form faint waved lines; three light fuscous fasciæ, each marked with three dark fuscous lines; first near base, outer edge sharply angulated above middle; second from two-fifths of costa to before middle of dorsum, slightly curved; third from two-thirds of costa to two-thirds of dorsum, outer edge somewhat prominent in middle, rather sinuate above it; a crescentic black obscurely whitish-margined discal spot; a short oblique cloudy fuscous streak from apex; cilia light fuscous, somewhat sprinkled with whitish. Hind-wings light grey; a grey discal dot before middle; a median band of three darker lines, outer rather prominent in middle; faint indications of other darker lines, most distinct posteriorly; cilia grey-whitish, with two cloudy grey lines."--(Meyrick.)

The perfect insect appears in December.

XANTHORHOE ROSEARIA, Dbld.

(_Cidaria rosearia_, Dbld., Dieff. N. Z. ii. 285, Butl., Cat. pl. iii. 13. _Coremia ardularia_, Gn., E. M. M. v. 63. _Coremia inamænaria_, Gn., E. M. M. v. 63. _Epyaxa rosearia_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 71.)

(Plate VII., fig. 22 [M], 23 [F].)

This species has occurred at Wellington in the North Island; and in the South Island at Akaroa, Christchurch, and Dunedin.

{58}The expansion of the wings is about 1-3/8 inches. The fore-wings of the male vary _from pale pinkish-grey to pale greenish-grey_; there is an obscure darker basal area, a rather broad central band, _formed of numerous shaded, wavy, dark grey lines, which are generally absent towards the middle of the band_; there is a black dot above the middle; the termen is shaded with dark grey, and there is an oblique pale mark near the apex. The hind-wings are grey with a few very faint wavy lines. The cilia of all the wings are pinkish-grey. _The female is dull yellowish-grey, with the markings very indistinct._

Both sexes vary slightly in the ground colour, and in the intensity of the markings. Mr. Purdie has pointed out that the species is very liable to fade, and hence it appears to vary more than is actually the case.[33]

The eggs are oval, pale yellow, changing first to orange, and then to dull grey before hatching. The young larva, when first emerged, is pale greyish-brown and very slender. Later on the caterpillar becomes dull olive-green speckled with black; there are two paler stripes just below the middle of the back, then a fine black line, followed by a very fine white one, then a broad pink stripe on the side; below this is a broad black line followed by a white line and two fine black ones. The larva is moderately stout, and the two prolegs are very close together.

The larva, when full-grown, measures about ¾ inch in length. The general colour is dull reddish-brown, often greenish-tinged. The back and sides are marked with numerous slightly waved fine black lines; there is a double series of black dots down the back, a broad black lateral line, followed by a fine white line. The under side of the larva is pinkish-brown; the head greenish-brown speckled with black. The caterpillar is obscurely marked, and very variable. It is often clouded with greenish colouring.

The food-plant is watercress.

The pupa, which is enclosed in a slight cocoon constructed of earth and silk, is found on the surface of the ground.

The perfect insect is most abundant in December, and is attracted by light. It seems to be about during the entire year, as Mr. Meyrick states that he has taken numerous specimens from May till September, and hence concludes that it is essentially a winter species.[34] I can to some extent confirm this observation, as I have also found the insect during the winter, although not commonly. It is probable that there are several broods in the course of a year, and that the species hibernates as an imago.

Regarding the synonymy of this species Mr. Meyrick remarks that "_C. ardularia_, Gn., is the male and _C. inamænaria_, Gn., the female of this species. _C. subidaria_, Gn., quoted by Butler as a synonym, is an Australian species, and not identical."[35]

XANTHORHOE OROPHYLA, Meyr.

(_Epyaxa orophyla_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 71.)

(Plate VII., fig. 24 [M], 25 [F].)

This fine species has occurred in the South Island at Nelson, Castle Hill, Mount Hutt, Dunedin and Lake Wakatipu.

The expansion of the wings of the male is 1¼ inches, of the female 1-3/8 inches. _The fore-wings of the male are pale brownish-grey_; there is an obscure bent blackish line near the base, _a moderately broad central band bounded by two very distinct shaded blackish lines, the basal one of which is not curved_; the termen is shaded with darker grey, and there is an oblique pale mark near the apex. The hind-wings are pale grey tinged with ochreous.

The female is slightly darker than the male; and there are numerous wavy pale and dark grey lines filling up the entire wing on each side of the central band.

The perfect insect appears in December, January, and February. It frequents open country on the mountain sides, at elevations of from 2,500 to 4,000 feet.

{59}I observed it in great abundance on the Humboldt Range at the head of Lake Wakatipu, where it frequented the damp rocky precipices which were fringed with a luxuriant growth of Alpine plants. At Castle Hill it occurred much less commonly, so that it would appear to be most plentiful in the extreme south of New Zealand. The colouring is protective when the insect is resting on rock surfaces.

XANTHORHOE SEMIFISSATA, Walk.

(_Coremia semifissata_, Walk. 1320. _Coremia ypsilonaria_, Gn., E. M. M. v. 64. _Cidaria delicatulata_, Gn., E. M. M. v. 94. _Epyaxa semifissata_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 72.)

(Plate VII., fig. 26 [M], 27 [F].)

This extremely pretty insect is very common, and generally distributed throughout the country.

The expansion of the wings is about an inch. The fore-wings of the male are _pale pink_; there are several wavy brown lines near the base, _a very distinct brown central band, narrowest near the middle, but much broader on the costa than on the dorsum_; the centre of this band is paler towards the costa; the termen is shaded with brown, except near the apex of the wing; _the veins are dotted in black. The hind-wings are bright ochreous with numerous wavy darker lines._ The female is darker in colour than the male, the central band is broader; _there are numerous brown and pink wavy lines on each side of the central band, and the principal veins are marked in pale ochreous_. The grey transverse lines on the hind-wings are much more distinct in the female than in the male.

The perfect insect appears from September till April, and is very common in rather open forest districts, usually frequenting undergrowth on the edges of the denser forest. It is often one of the earliest of the _Notodontina_ to appear in spring, and its advent is then especially welcome to the collector after the long inaction of winter. It is evidently closely allied to _X. orophyla_, which appears to be the southern and Alpine representative of this interesting insect. _Coremia ypsilonaria_, Gn., is the male, and _Cidaria delicatulata_, Gn., is the female of this species.

XANTHORHOE LOPHOGRAMMA, Meyr.

(_Xanthorhoe lophogramma_, Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1897, 386.)

(Plate VII., fig. 47 [M], 48 [F].)

This species was discovered at Castle Hill in January, 1893.

The expansion of the wings is about 1-1/8 inches. The insect differs from _X. semifissata_ in the following respects: In the male the general colour is slightly duller, _the outer edge of the central band on the fore-wings is more indented, and the veins are not dotted in black_. In the female the markings on the fore-wings are less distinct, the veins are not marked in pale ochreous, the outer edge of the central band is more deeply indented, and there is a darker shading near the termen than in _X. semifissata_. _The hind-wings of both sexes are dark ochreous, without any transverse markings._

XANTHORHOE CHLAMYDOTA, Meyr.

(_Epyaxa chlamydota_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 72.)

(Plate VII., fig. 28.)

This very handsome species has occurred at Wellington in the North Island, and at Christchurch and Akaroa in the South Island.

The expansion of the wings is 1¼ inches. The fore-wings are pale ochreous, _with two broad, dark, purplish-brown bands. The first, which is at the base, is slightly paler near the body, and strongly curved outwards towards the termen_; it is followed by several very fine pale brown transverse lines. _The second band is very broad, and is situated near the middle of the wing; its inner edge is curved inwards, and its outer edge has two rounded projections, one very large about the middle, and {60}another much smaller near the dorsum_; the middle portion of this central band is considerably paler than the edges; _the two projections of the central band are bordered with bright red_. The upper part of the termen is ochreous, with several faint brown marks; the lower part is dull grey. The hind-wings are dark ochreous, with a few obscure purplish-grey markings; the termen of the hind-wing projects slightly near the middle, and is rather jagged.

The species varies a little in the depth of its colouring, but the markings appear to be constant. The perfect insect appears from November till April. It chiefly frequents forest, but is not a common species. At present, more specimens have been found in the Wellington Botanical Gardens than elsewhere.

XANTHORHOE STINARIA, Gn.

(_Camptogramma stinaria_, Gn., E. M. M. v. 92. _Larentia stinaria_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 78.)

(Plate VII., fig. 29 [M].)

This species has occurred in the South Island at Christchurch, Dunedin, and at the foot of Mount Hutt.

The expansion of the wings is barely 1 inch. _All the wings are deep ochreous; the fore-wings have an oblique white line running from the dorsum near the base, towards the middle of the wing; this line is edged with blackish-brown towards the dorsum; there is a very conspicuous white transverse line at about three-fourths shaded with brown towards the body_; the apex of the fore-wing slightly projects. The hind-wings have no markings.

The perfect insect appears in December and January. It seems to be fairly common, frequenting _Carex subdola_.[36]

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

XANTHORHOE MNESICHOLA.

(_Larentia mnesichola_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xx. 56.)

(Plate VII., fig. 39 [M].)

This dull little species has occurred in the South Island on Mount Arthur, at elevations of from 4,000 to 4,800 feet.

The expansion of the wings is 1 inch. _The fore-wings are pale brownish-ochreous, and rather glossy; there is a series of minute black dots at the base, a second series at about one-third, then a cloudy curved band, slightly darker than the rest of the wing, followed by a third series of minute black dots; a fourth series is situated slightly before the termen._ The hind-wings are very pale brownish-ochreous.

The perfect insect appears in January. Mr. Meyrick states that it is rather common.

XANTHORHOE PRÆFECTATA, Walk.

(_Acidalia præfectata_, Walk. 781. _Acidalia subtentaria_, Walk. 1610. _Acidalia absconditaria_, Walk. 1611; Butl., Cat. pl. iii. 21. _Larentia præfectata_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 78.)

(Plate VII., fig. 30.)

This interesting species has occurred in the South Island at the Dun Mountain, Mount Arthur, Christchurch, and Dunedin.

The expansion of the wings is about 1½ inches. _All the wings are pure white_; the fore-wings have a minute grey dot above the middle, _a series of extremely minute dots a little before the termen, and several rows of very faint grey marks close to the termen_. The hind-wings have a row of very obscure dots across the middle, and several rows of very faint grey marks close to the termen. The face and collar are brown, and there is sometimes an extremely faint brown tinge on the costal edge of the fore-wings. The body is pure white.

The perfect insect appears in November, December, January, and February. I do not think it is a very common species, and at present I have only observed it on the Dun {61}Mountain near Nelson, at an elevation of about 2,700 feet above the sea-level. Here I took several specimens on the flowers of an Alpine veronica in the dusk of evening, and saw several others, which I was unable to capture. Mr. Meyrick has taken it on Mount Arthur at an elevation of 4,500 feet, and Mr. Fereday states that it frequents swampy places near Christchurch.

XANTHORHOE NEPHELIAS, Meyr.

(_Larentia nephelias_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 78.)

This species was discovered by Mr. Meyrick in the South Island at Arthur's Pass, West Coast Road, and he has since taken it on Mount Arthur.

"_Male, female_.--The expansion of the wings is 32-34 mm. (about 1¼ inches). Fore-wings moderate, in female narrower and more elongate, termen rounded; pale whitish-grey, slightly ochreous-tinged; an indistinct suffusion of dark fuscous scales before middle; a small dark fuscous discal dot; a rather irregular cloudy dark fuscous line beyond middle, sinuate beneath costa, shortly angulated in middle; a very faint stria beyond this; a terminal band composed of two rows of cloudy partially confluent dark fuscous spots, separating on costa; cilia pale whitish-grey. Hind-wings moderate, in female narrower, termen rounded; ground colour as in fore-wings, with a few grey scales posteriorly.

"A remarkable-looking species.

"I took two fine specimens above Arthur's Pass (4,600 feet), in January."--(Meyrick).

I am unacquainted with this species. It is evidently very conspicuous and distinct.

XANTHORHOE CATAPHRACTA, Meyr.

(_Larentia cataphracta_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 79.)

(Plate VII., fig. 33 [M], 34 [F].)

This large and conspicuous species has occurred in the South Island at Mount Arthur, Arthur's Pass, Lake Guyon, and Lake Wakatipu.

The expansion of the wings of the male is 1-5/8 inches, of the female 1½ inches. _The fore-wings are dull yellowish-brown, with numerous slightly waved oblique black and white transverse bands; one very broad white band is situated near the middle, and another at about three-fourths; there is a broad longitudinal reddish-brown line on the costal edge, in which the transverse lines almost disappear_; there is also a pale, somewhat triangular, area at the apex. The hind-wings are very pale greyish-ochreous. The cilia of all the wings are very pale ochreous. The female is duller and paler than the male.

The perfect insect appears from December till March, and frequents grassy slopes on the mountain sides, at elevations of from 3,000 to 4,000 feet. I observed this insect in great abundance on the Humboldt Range at the head of Lake Wakatipu, but have not found it at any of the other Alpine localities I have visited, so I imagine that it is a rather local species.

XANTHORHOE CLARATA, Walk.

(_Larentia clarata_, Walk. 1197; Butl., Cat. pl. iii. 14. _Cideria pyramaria_, Gn., E. M. M. v. 93. _Larentia clarata_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 79.)

(Plate VII., fig. 31 [M], 32 [F].)

This conspicuous species has occurred in the South Island at Lake Rotoiti, Mount Arthur, Castle Hill, Mount Hutt, Dunedin, and Lake Wakatipu.

The expansion of the wings of the male is 1½ inches, of the female 1-3/8 inches.

The species differs from the preceding in the following respects: The ground colour of the fore-wings is brighter, the markings are less oblique and much more jagged; the large white central band is often broken up into several distinct oval patches; the costal edge is very slightly shaded with {62}brown, _and the transverse lines do not disappear before reaching the costa_. The hind-wings are bright ochreous. _The cilia of all the wings are white, strongly barred with yellowish-brown_.

There is slight variation in the details of the markings, but the species can always be immediately recognised.

The perfect insect appears in December, January, and February. It frequents open grassy places at elevations ranging from 2,000 to 4,500 feet, and is often extremely abundant in these situations.

XANTHORHOE COSMODORA, Meyr.

(_Larentia cosmodora_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xx. 57.)

This species was discovered by Mr. Meyrick in the South Island on Mount Arthur, at an elevation of 4,500 feet.

_Female_.--27 mm. (slightly over 1 inch). Head, palpi, antennæ, thorax, abdomen, and legs whitish-ochreous, slightly brownish-tinged; abdomen with a double dorsal series of dark fuscous dots. Fore-wings with costa hardly perceptibly arched, termen slightly rounded, oblique; whitish-ochreous, slightly yellowish-tinged; a curved irregular black line rather near base, followed by a white line; median band rather darker, tinged with yellowish-fuscous towards edges, margined with dentate black lines and outside these with white, anterior from one-third of costa to two-fifths of dorsum, rather curved, posterior from two-thirds of costa to three-fourths of dorsum, somewhat prominent beneath costa, and with a more distinct double prominence in middle; two white dentate-edged spots within median band, first beneath costa, containing small black discal dot, second on dorsum; a waved white subterminal line; a fine dark fuscous terminal line interrupted into numerous dots; cilia whitish-ochreous, with dark fuscous bars hardly reaching base. Hind-wings whitish-ochreous, with faint darker greyish-tinged lines; a median band of four more distinct cloudy grey lines, first three straight, fourth well marked, rather dark fuscous, waved, somewhat prominent in middle, beneath confluent with third; a faint white subterminal line; cilia pale whitish-ochreous, with a faint greyish line tending to form spots.

"Appears in January; one specimen. It is conceivable that this may be the other sex of the following species, but they are very dissimilar, and I do not at present think it probable."--(Meyrick.)

XANTHORHOE BRYOPIS, Meyr.

(_Larentia bryopis_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xx. 57.)

Discovered by Mr. Meyrick in the South Island on Mount Arthur, 4,500 feet above the sea-level.

"_Male_.--29-32 mm. (about 1¼ inches). Head, palpi, thorax, abdomen, and legs pale greyish-ochreous, slightly greenish-tinged, irrorated with blackish. Antennæ whitish, annulated with black. Fore-wings with costa gently arched, termen somewhat rounded, rather oblique; pale greyish-ochreous, tinged with olive-greenish, irrorated with blackish-grey, tending to form waved transverse lines on basal area; median band margined with dentate black lines and outside them with white; anterior from one-third of costa to one-third of dorsum, curved, posterior from beyond two-thirds of costa to three-fourths of dorsum, somewhat indented above middle, with a moderate double prominence in middle; three blackish-grey subdentate lines within median band, first near and parallel to anterior edge, other two near and parallel to posterior edge, first and second tending to be confluent below middle, space between these more or less suffused with white, enclosing a small black discal spot; an obscure dentate whitish subterminal line, anteriorly margined with dark fuscous, preceded and followed by waved fuscous lines; a terminal series of pairs of dark fuscous dots; cilia ochreish-grey, whitish, barred with fuscous, and with a fuscous basal line. Hind-wings ochreous-grey, with waved darker grey transverse lines, except towards base; a dark grey discal dot before middle; posterior edge of median band formed as in fore-wings, followed by an obscure whitish line and somewhat paler band; terminal dots and cilia as in fore-wings, but more obscure.

"Appears in January; not uncommon. Nearest allied to _X. beata_."--(Meyrick.)

{63}XANTHORHOE BEATA, Butl.

(_Cidaria beata_, Butl., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1877, 397, pl. xliii. 6. _Larentia beata_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 79.)

(Plate VII., fig. 35 [M], 36 [F].)

This very beautiful species has occurred at Wellington in the North Island, is common and generally distributed throughout the South Island, and has also been found at Stewart Island.

The expansion of the wings is about 1 inch. _The fore-wings are bright green; there is a darker area at the base edged with a jagged white line; then a paler band followed by a very broad darker green central band edged with very jagged white lines, and containing several white patches in the middle, one of which is situated close to the costa and encloses a black dot; beyond this central band there is a paler area, then an interrupted darker green band edged with white towards the termen_. There is an oblique pale mark from the apex of the wing. The hind-wings are very pale ochreous, sometimes slightly tinged with green; there are several obscure rows of dusky spots.

The white markings included in the central band are rather variable.

The egg is smooth, oval, and pale green in colour.

The young larva is orange-brown, becoming greenish-brown soon after emergence. The full-grown larva is dark brown above and pale brown beneath, the two colours being sharply separated on the sides by a broken white line. A series of V-shaped markings is situated on the back, each mark enclosing a paler area. Several fine black wavy lines traverse the darker portions of the larva, and a dark mark, edged with black beneath, is situated on each segment just above the ventral surface.

The food-plant is watercress.

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

The perfect insect appears from October till March, and frequents forest. It is often dislodged from dense undergrowth during the daytime, and may be found in the evening on the blossoms of the white rata. It is very much commoner in some years than in others; but occasionally several seasons will pass without our noticing a single specimen of this attractive insect. The colouring is extremely protective when the moth is resting on moss-covered tree trunks.

XANTHORHOE ADONIS, n. sp.

(Plate VII., fig. 49 [M].)

This extremely beautiful insect has occurred in the South Island at Castle Hill, and at Lake Wakatipu.

The expansion of the wings is 1 inch. _The fore-wings are vivid green_; there is a broad, wavy, black transverse line near the base; a somewhat broken line at about one-third, much broader on the costa and edged with white towards the base; _a very conspicuous broad black line at two-thirds, shaded towards the base, and sharply edged with white towards the termen_; between this line and the termen there are several black marks, forming another extremely broken transverse line. _The hind-wings are pale orange-brown, with a faint grey central band_.

The perfect insect appears in January. It frequents forests at elevations of from 1,000 to 2,000 feet above the sea-level, but it is not common.

Mr. Meyrick regards this insect as identical with _Xanthorhoe beata_.

XANTHORHOE CHLORIAS, Meyr.

(_Larentia chlorias_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 80.)