{ 1. MISELIA.
Sub-family 1.--POLIADES { 2. ORTHOSIA.
{ 3. XANTHIA.
{ 4. PHYSETICA.
{ 5. LEUCANIA.
Sub-family 2.--MELANCHRIDES { 6. ICHNEUTICA.
{ 7. MELANCHRA.
{ 8. ERANA.
{ 9. BITYLA. {6}
Sub-family 3.--CARADRINIDES { 10. AGROTIS.
{ 11. HELIOTHIS.
{ 12. COSMODES.
Sub-family 1.--_POLIADES_.
"Eyes naked, ciliated (_i.e._, furnished with a marginal row of long
cilia curving over them)."--(Meyrick.)
Genus 1.--MISELIA, Steph.
"Antennæ in male filiform, moderately ciliated. Thorax with anterior
angles projecting, somewhat crested. Abdomen not crested."--(Meyrick.)
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 [M], 28 [F]; 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.)
(Plate V., fig. 29.)
This species has occurred at Wellington in the North Island, and at
Blenheim in the South Island.
The expansion of the wings is 1-3/8 inches. _The fore-wings vary from
bright orange-brown to dull reddish-brown_; there is an obscure black dot
near the base, a faint transverse line at about one-fourth; the orbicular
is oval, faintly outlined in brown; the claviform is very faint, its
position indicated by a small brown dot; the reniform is large, oblong,
much indented towards the termen, doubly outlined with dull yellow and
containing a blackish spot towards its lower edge, its posterior margin
is shaded with dark brown; there are several faint, wavy, transverse
lines near the termen, and the termen itself is shaded with
brownish-black; the cilia are reddish-brown. The hind-wings are dull
grey; the cilia are pale reddish-ochreous tipped with white. _The head is
covered with scattered white scales_, the thorax is reddish-brown, and
the abdomen is grey tipped with reddish-brown; _the upper joints of the
tarsi of the anterior legs are white_.
The perfect insect appears in January, February, and March. It frequents
the blossoms of the white rata, where it occasionally may be taken in the
daytime, but more frequently at night. It is not, however, a common
species.
Genus 3.--XANTHIA, Tr.
"Antennæ in male filiform, moderately ciliated. Thorax with sharp
compressed anterior and small posterior crest. Abdomen not
crested."--(Meyrick.)
Only one New Zealand species is known at present.
{8}XANTHIA PURPUREA, Butl.
(_Graphiphora purpurea_, Butl., Cist. Ent. ii. _Xanthia ceramodes_, Meyr.,
Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 31. _X. purpurea_, ib. xx. 46.)
(Plate V., fig. 32.)
This handsome species has been found at Wellington in the North Island, and
at Dunedin in the South Island.
The expansion of the wings is 1½ inches. The fore-wings are rich, glossy
reddish-brown with several scattered whitish scales; there is a distinct
yellow mark on the costa at about one-fourth, forming the beginning of a
broken transverse line; the orbicular is small, round, and yellowish; the
reniform is small, crescentic and yellowish, _the space between the
orbicular and the reniform is very dark blackish-brown_; beyond the
reniform there is a conspicuous white mark on the costa forming the
beginning of a second broken transverse line; a third shaded line is
situated near the termen. The hind-wings are pale brown with a dark spot
in the middle, very conspicuous on the under surface.
The perfect insect appears from September till April. It is usually taken
at sugar or light, but is not a very common species.
Sub-family 2.--_MELANCHRIDES_.
Eyes hairy.
Genus 4.--PHYSETICA, Meyr.
"Palpi with terminal joint in male greatly swollen, as broad as second,
rather short, rounded, with an orifice in outer side, in female normal.
Antennæ in male filiform, simple. Thorax and abdomen smooth."--(Meyrick.)
(Plate II., fig. 8.)
PHYSETICA CÆRULEA, Gn.
(_Agrotis cærulea_, Gn., Ent. Mo. Mag. v. 38. _Physetica cærulea_, Meyr.,
Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 5.)
(Plate IV., fig. 7.)
This fine species has occurred at Wellington in the North Island, and at
Blenheim and Rakaia in the South Island.
The expansion of the wings is 1-5/8 inches. _The fore-wings are
slaty-blue_; there is an obscure, wavy, whitish transverse line near the
base, two very wavy blackish lines at about one-third, a dark transverse
shaded line across the middle, containing the orbicular spot, then a very
wavy line followed by a darker space and a wavy, dull, whitish terminal
line. Hind-wings dark grey, paler near the base, cilia shining white.
The perfect insect appears in October, December, and January. Mr. Fereday
states that it was formerly very common at blossoms.
Genus 5.--LEUCANIA, Ochs.
"Head rough-scaled; eyes hairy. Antennæ in male ciliated. Thorax with or
without slight anterior crest. Abdomen not crested.
"A very large cosmopolitan genus, equally common everywhere; it is a
development of _Melanchra_, to which some of the New Zealand species give
such a complete transition that a line of demarcation can hardly be drawn.
The larvæ all feed on _Gramineæ_."--(Meyrick.)
We have seventeen species.
{9}LEUCANIA GRISEIPENNIS, Feld.
(_Mamestra griseipennis_, Feld., pl. cix. 22. _Chera virescens_, Butl.,
Cist. Ent. ii. 489. _Spælotis inconstans_, ib. 545; _Leucania moderata_,
Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 7 (nec Walk.). _Leucania griseipennis_,
Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xx. 44.)
(Plate IV., fig. 8.)
This species has occurred at Wellington in the North Island. In the South
Island it has been taken at Mount Arthur, Lake Coleridge, Rakaia, Akaroa,
and Lake Guyon.
The expansion of the wings is 1½ inches. The fore-wings are dull
greenish-grey; there are two obscure blackish transverse lines near the
base and several dull white dots; _a very conspicuous transverse curved
black shade near the middle, followed by an extremely jagged dull white
transverse line, another less jagged transverse line near the termen; the
orbicular is oval, pale, edged with black_; the reniform and claviform
are also pale but inconspicuous; the cilia are tinged with brown. The
hind-wings are grey _with the cilia wholly white_.
The following variety, taken on Mount Arthur, is thus described by Mr.
Meyrick:--
"_Var. A._ Thorax and fore-wings without ochreous tinge, with numerous
white scales tending to form suffused spots and margins to lines; cilia
distinctly barred with darker; hind-wings grey, with dark grey, irregular
terminal band."[10]
The perfect insect appears from November till March, and is said to be very
common in certain localities. It has been taken at considerable elevations
in the Nelson province (4,700 feet above the sea-level on Mount Arthur, by
Mr. Meyrick and myself). In Wellington it is certainly a scarce species.
LEUCANIA MODERATA, Walk.
(_Agrotis moderata_, Walk., Suppl. 705. _Eumichtis sistens_, Gn., Ent.
Mo. Mag. v. 39. _Mamestra sistens_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 19.
_Leucania moderata_, ib. xx. 45.)
This species has occurred at Rakaia in the South Island. It very closely
resembles the preceding species, from which it is said to be distinguished
by the cilia of the hind-wings, which are "partially grey in _Leucania
moderata_, wholly white in _L. griseipennis_."--(Meyrick.)
The perfect insect appears in February. I am unacquainted with this
species.
LEUCANIA TEMPERATA, Walk.
(_Bryophila temperata_, Walk., 1648 (nec Meyrick). _Xylina inceptura_, ib.
1736. _X. deceptura_, ib. 1737. _Leucania temperata_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z.
Inst. xx. 45.)
"Terminal joint of palpi moderate; form of wing as in _Leucania
griseipennis_, first and second lines whitish, inconspicuous, margined
with black dots, second line evenly curved, subterminal perceptible;
cilia grey, indistinctly barred with white. Hind-wings grey."--(Meyrick.)
Described by Mr. Meyrick from the British Museum specimens.