Source: http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_62/rsnz_62_00_001380.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 09:07:20+00:00

Document:
New Species of New Zealand Lepidoptera.
By L. C. Edward Meyrick, B.A., F.R.S.
(For the material for the following descriptions I am again indebted to the kindness of my friend, Mr G. V. Hudson.
♀ 37 mm. Head dark grey, mixed light greenish. Palpi, pale greyish-ochreous, with three blackish bars, projecting scales of second joint grey. Thorax, dark grey mixed black, crests and tegulae except margins moss-green. Forewings rather elongate-triangular, termen rather obliquely curved, crenate; ashy-grey, ground colour largely obscured by moss-green and black markings; a green subcostal streak from base to ⅚ with several black transverse marks, costal edge above this posteriorly blackish with three whitish dots; basal third green except on veins, with two oblique black streaks beneath cell near base, beyond these a small spot of pale brownish edged posteriorly by a blackish mark, just above dorsum a strong black longitudinal streak edged white beneath; dorsal edge pale ochreous-brown throughout, marginal scales whitish; first line curved, green, edged black posteriorly, interrupted on veins; oblique-oval orbicular and curvedtransverse reniform green, very finely whitish-edged, united by a trapezoidal deep black blotch, and externally black-edged with adjacent spaces mixed green and black; claviform represented by a rounded black blotch mixed green resting on first line; second line green and whitish, edged black anteriorly, interrupted on veins, angulated above and bidentate below middle, followed by a green fascia interrupted on veins; subterminal line forming three nearly straight segments united by light ochreous-brown spots, two lower white strongly edged black suffusion, upper represented by thick blackish anterior margin and a pale green blotch extending to apex; a terminal series of black crescentic marks preceded by green spots; cilia pale greenish. Hindwings grey; an interrupted dark grey terminal line; cilia, grey whitish, a grey subbasal line round upper part of termen.
Waimarino National Park, 2800ft., January, at sugar (G. V. Hudson); one specimen. A beautiful insect of complex ornamentation.
basal line partially edged black, a green spot following this beneath cell; first line nearly straight, partially edged black; orbicular subquadrate, laterally edged white and then black, reniform subquadrate, formed by a green bar between two black ones followed by a white blotch edged black posteriorly, beyond this a reddish-brown space, space between them tinged reddish-brown, claviform represented by a rounded reddish-grey spot edged posteriorly white and then black, four white dots on costa beyond middle surrounded black; second line formed by a contorted grey streak irrorated white, edged anteriorly by some blackish scales; subterminal slender, whitish, shortly angled towards costa and shortly bidentate beneath middle, in disc edged anteriorly green suffusion mixed black towards middle, on dorsal third suffused pale rosy-brown and preceded by a subcrescentic dark fuscous blotch, posteriorly edged blackish suffusion except towards extremities, on costa edged black anteriorly: cilia light brownish, slenderly barred whitish, a dark grey antemedian and red-brown apical line. Hindwings grey; cilia grey, base and tips whitish.
Waimarino National Park, 2800ft., January, at sugar (G. V. Hudson); one example, taken on the same night as the preceding. These two species are undoubtedly allied together, but the differences are such that it is not credible that they can be only sexes of the same. Both examples are in very fine condition.
Mr Hudson sends what is probably the ♀ of this; forewings ground-colour light grey except in middle of disc, orbicular roundish, reniform posterior ⅔ white, subterminal line more suffused white; although differing thus considerably in appearance from the two ♂ specimens which I have seen, I think it is the same species.
♂ 39 mm. Head, palpi, thorax red-brown, partially sprinkled ochreous-whitish. Forewings rather elongate-triangular, termen crenulate; red-brown, along costa sprinkled ochreous-whitish; subbasal line in disc shortly whitish edged black; first and second lines hardly paler than ground colour, waved; spots very finely edged black, orbicular oval, slightly touched white within margin, open above, claviform hemispherical, resting on first line, reniform mostly finely edged white within black margin except beneath; subterminal line consisting of small fine disconnected white filaments placed in small suffused dark fuscous spots: cilia red-brown, two darker shades. Hindwings rather dark grey; cilia light red-brown.
Flora River, bred January from larvae feeding on Nothofagus Menziesii, two examples (G. V. Hudson). Larva moderately stout, very dark rich green finely speckled with yellow dots and still more finely with blackish, especially on ventral surface; a very conspicuous wavy serrate white lateral line faintly edged with orange-pink above near middle of each segment: of very sluggish habit, resting amongst foliage in form of a loop; in this position the wavy serrate lateral line gives exactly the effect of the slightly serrate edge of the leaf of N. Menziesii, and a detection of the larva in situ is almost impossible: absolutely distinct from the larva of M. ochthistis.
♂ 25 mm. Head whitish marked green. Palpi light green speckled blackish. Antennae with slender fasciculate-ciliated filaments (4). Thorax light green mixed black and whitish. Abdomen with blackish subbasal ring. Forewings somewhat elongate-triangular, termen bowed, oblique; green; first five fasciae indicated by two or three waved curved striae each of whitish speckling, alternating with blackish striae on costal half, which are indicated on dorsal half only by black marks on veins, sixth obsolete; subterminal line waved, of whitish speckling, preceded near tornus by a small well-marked black spot; a blackish terminal line: cilia basal half light green barrel blackish-grey, outer half paler. Hindwings termen somewhat unevenly rounded; light grey, tinged green towards termen, dorsal area greener striated white and blackish; a grey discal dot and waved subterminal line; a blackish terminal line; cilia grey, basal half light greenish spotted blackish.
Waimarino National Park, 2800ft., January (G. V. Hudson). Nearest muscosata.
♂ 24 mm. Head, palpi thorax grey irrorated whitish. Antennal pectinations 6. Forewings triangular, apex somewhat prominentrounded, termen little oblique, somewhat sinuate above, rounded beneath; grey; costal edge ochreous-whitish spotted dark grey; median band broad, with faint ochreous tinge, preceded by a slightly curved fascia of 3 or 4 dark fuscous striae separated by light grey, and limited posteriorly by 3 dark fuscous striae separated by whitish lines becoming white in disc above middle, rather prominentcurved in middle, beyond these a thick dark fuscous shade on costal half of wing: cilia grey, outer half whitish in sinuation. Hindwings light grey; a faint darker curved postmedian line; cilia light grey, outer half whitish-tinged.
Whangarei, December (Commander Patterson); one example.
♂ 27 mm. Head, palpi, thorax grey speckled whitish. Forewings narrow, gradually dilated, termen slightly rounded, rather oblique; 5 absent; grey speckled white and irregularly sprinkled black; an indistinct dark fuscous mark on costa about ⅓, and traces of rather oblique first line; two indistinct dark fuscous dots on angles of cell; some brownish suffusion towards apex, and a marginal series of small cloudy dark fuscous spots round apical part of costa and termen: cilia grey speckled whitish. Hindwings whitish-grey; cilia whitish.
Whangarei, March (Commander Patterson); one example. Mr Hudson states that a specimen was also taken by Mr C. E. Clarke at Lake Rotomahana in February, 1915, but apparently not recorded. The species is a native of Eastern Australia, where it is not uncommon; in New Zealand doubtless an immigrant.
♂ 16 mm. Head, thorax grey mixed white. Palpi dark grey, apical edge white. Forewings elongate-triangular, termen slightly rounded, oblique; grey, costal and dorsal thirds suffusedly irrorated white; an irregular streak of black irroration beneath cell from base to end; a slenderer black streak in cell from middle to end, terminating in a white dot on angle of cell, and five rather irregular black lines on veins to termen, black dots on ends of terminal veins: cilia whitish-grey, a light grey subbasal line. Hindwings light grey; cilia pale grey, a darker subbasal shade.
Whangarei, January (Commander Patterson); one example. Allied to subita Philp.
I have recently received from Mr Hudson specimens of this insect, bred from larvae on Phyllocladus alpinus, taken at Waimarino in January. As the result of further examination, I find that veins 7 and 8 in forewings are distinctly stalked, the stalk in some specimens being very short. The species, which was formerly placed in Tortrix, should now be referred to Capua as above.
♂ 13 mm. Head grey. Palpi dark grey sprinkled whitish. Thorax grey, tegulae yellowish except shoulder. Forewings elongate, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen obliquely rounded; ochreous-yellowish, slightly orange-tinged; a rather thick dark grey costal streak from base to near ⅖, apex pointed; plical stigma forming a small group of blackish scales; some slight fuscous sprinkling from lower angle of cell to tornus: cilia ochreous-yellowish. Hindwings grey; an expanded group of erect grey hairs occupying base of wing; cilia light grey.
Wellington, December (G. V. Hudson); one example. Peculiarly distinguished by the expanded hairs of hindwings, doubtless a sexual character.
fuscous spot on base of costa; an irregular dark grey black-edged transverse fascia before middle, constricted beneath costa, dilated in disc, including a large subdorsal tuft; an elongate-semioval blackish blotch on costa beyond middle, from which an irregular transverse streak of grey and black scales runs to dorsum; an irregular transverse series of grey and black scales in disc beyond this; an irregular dark fuscous apical blotch: cilia grey. Hindwings and cilia grey.
Whangarei, December (Commander Patterson); two examples. Nearest conspicuella, but quite distinct.
♂ ♀ 18.22 mm. Head white sometimes sprinkled grey. Palpi white, second joint dark fuscous except apex; terminal joint with dark fuscous median band. Forewings elongate-oblong, apex obtuse, termen rather oblique; white irrorated light fuscous; narrow elongate fuscous spots on costa at base and before and beyond middle; a fine black plical line from base to ⅓; a slightly downcurved longitudinal black streak in disc from about ⅓ to ⅔, edged brown suffusion beneath; a cloudy fuscous subcostal streak from middle to ¾; some dark fuscous or blackish dots round apical part of costa and termen: cilia grey-whitish. Hindwings pale grey; cilia grey-whitish.
Wellington, December, January (G. V. Hudson); seven examples. Mr Hudson has pointed out to me that this has been confused with balanophora, from which it is easily separable by the strong black streak in middle of disc. Owing to this confusion, for which I am primarily responsible, Mr Philpott has described the true balanophora Meyr., under the name of Milligani (Trans. N.Z. Inst. LVIII, 87).
♂ 12 mm. Head, thorax whitish. Palpi dark fuscous, apical edge whitish. Forewings elongate, slightly dilated, costa gently arched, apex obtuse-pointed, termen nearly straight, oblique; whitish costal edge tinged yellowish; some scattered black specks except towards costa; a black slightly raised dot beneath fold at ⅕, two towards costa at ⅓ and before middle, one in disc between these, two at angles of cell, and one at dorsal end of fold in a slightly oblique line with these; one or two blackish dots on tornal edge: cilia whitish. Hindwings and cilia whitish.
Whangarei, January (Commander Patterson); one example. Allied to the Australian aquilana Meyr.; there are several other Australian species of Paramorpha, but the genus is new to New Zealand.
dark fuscous. Forewings elongate, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen obliquely rounded; fuscous irrorated darker; a blackish costal patch from base to ¾, narrow at base, posterior edge rather inwards-oblique from costa and reaching half across wing, lower edge margined white except on a short median flange, a blackish discal dot just beyond its angle: cilia light grey, a somewhat interrupted blackish subbasal line. Hindwings and cilia grey.
Gollans Valley, Wellington, January (G. V. Hudson); one example.
♀ 7 mm. Head whitish cèntrally mixed fuscous. Palpi fuscous tip white. Thorax whitish mixed dark fuscous. Forewings light fuscous; first half of wing occupied by three obscure whitish angulated fasciae irregularly edged dark fuscous, third broadest and angle reaching beyond middle of disc; an oblique white strigula from costa about ⅔, and three small white spots between this and apex, wing beneath these irregularly irrorated whitish, some dark fuscous scales, a fine white erect strigula from middle of termen; a small suffused black apical spot: cilia greyish, two dark fuscous lines. Hindwings and cilia light grey.
Whangarei, January (Commander Patterson); one example.
Head with appressed scales, sidetufts loosely raised; ocelli posterior; tongue developed. Antennae ¾, ♂ dentate, shortly ciliated (½), scape rather long and stout, without pecten. Labial palpi very long, curved, ascending, second joint much exceeding base of antennae, with appressed scales, terminal joint shorter than second, slender, acute. Maxillary palpi rudimentary. Posterior tibiae with scales somewhat rough above. Forewings 1b furcate, 2 from near angle, curved, 7 and 8 stalked, 7 to termen, 11 from middle. Hindwings considerably over 1, trapezoidal-ovate, termen not sinuate, cilia ¼–⅕; 2 from ⅔, 3 and 4 connate, 5 parallel to 4, 5–7 rather approximated towards base.
Type notabilis Philp. Mr Philpott has provisionally referred this species* (of which I have received a pair by the kindness of Mr Hudson) to the genus Euprionocera Turner, which I have not seen, but Dr Turner has regarded his genus as an Oecophorid. The present species is not Oecophorid by reason of the hindwings; I refer it to the group of Odites in the Xyloryctidae, of which it is perhaps an early form. Its place in the New Zealand fauna is between Scieropepla and Agriophara.
[Footnote] * Trans. N.Z. Inst., LVIII., 368.

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