Art. XI.—New Species of Lepidoptera.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 23, 1890, Page 97

Art. XI.—New Species of Lepidoptera. By E. Meyrick, B.A., F.Z.S. [Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 6th November, 1890.] The following eight new species of New Zealand Lepidoptera were all taken in the neighbourhood of Wellington by Mr. G. V. Hudson, and I am indebted to his kindness for the specimens which I have described; he himself possesses other similar specimens. Larentiadæ. Pasiphila dryas, n. sp. ♂. 25mm. Head, palpi, thorax, and abdomen light reddish-brown irrorated with blackish; palpi 2 ½. Antennæ light fuscous, ciliated with long fascicles (4). Legs dark fuscous, apex of joints whitish. Forewings with hindmargin bowed, oblique, crenulate, slightly sinuate above anal angle; rather light reddish-brown; numerous curved waved cloudy dark fuscous transverse lines, somewhat marked with black on veins; anterior edge of median band from ⅜ of costa to ⅖ of inner margin, shortly angulated near costa; posterior edge from before ¾ of costa to ¾ of inner margin, forming a broadly-triangular projection in middle; a faint pale waved subter-minal line, forming a whitish dot above anal angle: cilia pale brownish, irrorated with dark fuscous. Hindwings with hindmargin unevenly rounded, crenulate, sinuate above middle and above anal angle; light reddish-brown, irrorated with dark fuscous, forming obscure waved transverse lines; a blackish hindmarginal line; cilia as in forewings. One specimen. Tortricidæ. Adoxophyes camelina, n. sp. ♀ 20mm. Head and thorax whitish-ochreous, reddish-tinged. Palpi 4 ½, grey, becoming ochreous-whitish towards base. Antennæ whitish-ochreous, dotted with blackish above. (Abdomen broken.) Legs whitish, anterior pair partially infuscated. Forewings oblong, costa very strongly arched on anterior half, thence rather deeply sinuate posteriorly, apex obtuse, hindmargin sinuate beneath apex, hardly oblique, rounded beneath; ferruginous, suffused with purplish-fuscous towards costa; a whitish-ochreous streak along costa from before middle to ¾, attenuated to a point at extremities (appearing to exaggerate costal sinuation): cilia ferruginous,

mixed with dark fuscous. Hindwings whitish, posteriorly faintly ochreous-tinged, with faint traces of greyish speckling. One specimen. The generic position requires to be confirmed by the knowledge of the ♂. Conchylididæ. Heterocrossa charaxias, n. sp. ♂ ♀. 15mm. Head, thorax, and abdomen white. Palpi in ♂ moderate, in ♀ long; lower half dark fuscous, upper half white. Antennæ whitish. Legs dark fuscous, apex of joints and posterior pair whitish. Forewings elongate, narrow-oblong, costa moderately arched, apex round-pointed, hind-margin slightly sinuate, very oblique; white, densely irrorated with pale fuscous-grey; a short fine black curved streak beneath costa near base, its extremities touching costa at base and 1/7; a black dot above inner margin near base; costa marked with seven fuscous dots; a short oblique black bar in disc before ⅓, parallel to hindmargin; a black dot beneath costa at ¼, and several scattered black dots or short marks in disc, preceding tufts; an angulated transverse series of irregular black dots near hindmargin, obsolete at extremities; usually a series of indistinct black hindmarginal dots: cilia white, densely irrorated with pale fuscous-grey, with a faint darker line. Hind-wings and cilia whitish. Three specimens. The species is closely allied to H. cryodana and H. epomiana, but appears to be certainly distinct from both, and constant. Depressariadæ. Phæsaces liochroa, n. sp. ♂ ♀. 24–27mm. Head and thorax pale ochreous or reddish-ochreous. Palpi and antennæ whitish-ochreous. Abdomen pale whitish-ochreous. Legs ochreous-whitish, anterior pair infuscated. Forewings moderate, suboblong, in ♂ somewhat dilated posteriorly, costa moderately arched, apex rounded-obtuse, hindmargin slightly oblique, rounded beneath; light brownish-ochreous, in ♀ partially or wholly suffused with deep reddish-ochreous and more or less (sometimes densely) sprinkled with dark fuscous; costal edge bright ferruginous; an indistinct dark fuscous dot in disc at ⅔, a second on fold directly beneath first, and a third in disc at ⅔, all sometimes very obscure; a very strongly outwards-curved and bent series of blackish dots from ⅔ of costa to ¾ of inner margin, more or less obsolete towards extremities; a much interrupted blackish hindmarginal line: cilia pale reddish-ochreous, above apex ferruginous. Hindwings pale whitish-ochreous, more tinged

with pale yellowish-ochreous posteriorly; inner margin broadly suffused with rather dark grey; some dark grey scales on hindmargin; cilia pale whitish-ochreous. Three specimens. Plutellidæ. Dolichernis, n. g. Head rough on crown, face smooth; ocelli present; tongue well developed. Antennæ over 1, in ♂—(?), basal joint moderate, without pecten. Labial palpi long, smooth, re-curved, second joint tolerably slender, terminal joint as long as second, acute. Maxillary palpi rudimentary. Posterior tibiæ shortly rough-haired above, more strongly beneath. Forewings with vein 1 long-furcate, 2 from near angle, 3 and 4 from a point, 7 absent, 8 and 9 stalked, 11 from before middle. Hindwings 1, elongate-ovate, cilia ½; veins 3 and 4 from a point, 5 remote, 6 and 7 parallel. A peculiar genus of somewhat uńAertain location, not closely approaching any other known to me. Dolichernis chloroleuca, n. sp. ♀. 16mm. Head, palpi, antennæ, thorax, abdomen, and legs ochreous-whitish; anterior and middle legs banded with dark fuscous. Forewings elongate, rather narrow, costa moderately arched, apex tolerably pointed, hindmargin slightly sinuate, oblique; pale whitish-ochreous, with a few scattered fuscous scales; a cloudy irregular elongate dark fuscous dot beneath costa near base, two obliquely placed in disc at ¼, four forming a straight oblique series from middle of disc to before middle of inner margin, and two transversely placed in disc above anal angle: cilia ochreous-whitish, with a small black spot at apex. Hindwings and cilia whitish. One specimen; unfortunately it is in somewhat poor condition, but I believe the characters given are essentially correct. Tineidæ. Decadarchis, Meyr. Head rough-haired; ocelli present; no tongue. Antennæ ⅘, in ♂—(?), basal joint moderate, with small pecten. Labial palpi moderate, straight, porrected, second joint with rather long projecting scales beneath and some apical bristles above, terminal joint shorter than second, obtuse. Maxillary palpi moderately long, filiform. Posterior tibiæ clothed with very long hairs above. Forewings with vein 1 furcate, 2 from rather near angle, 5 absent, 7 absent, 11 from before middle of cell, apex of wing bent up. Hindwings 1, lanceolate, cilia ⅔–1; veins 3 and 4 remote, 5 and 6 stalked, 6 to costa.

Defined originally to include a species from the South Pacific islands, with which the following agrees entirely in essential structure, although differing much in superficial appearance. The genus belongs to the group of Erechthias, which I formerly separated as a distinct family (Erechthiadæ), but I am now of opinion that, although a very natural group, it cannot be kept separate from the Tineidæ. Decadarchis monastra, n. sp. ♀. 10mm. Head fuscous, face whitish-fuscous. Palpi, antennæ, thorax, abdomen, and legs dark fuscous, apex of tarsal joints whitish-ochreous. Forewings lanceolate; dark fuscous, strewn with blackish scales with ochreous-whitish tips; a moderate rather irregular whitish-ochreous spot on costa beyond middle: cilia rather dark fuscous, mixed with blackish round apex. Hindwings rather dark bronzy-fuscous; cilia fuscous. One specimen; it is not in good condition, but is so distinct as to be easily recognisable. Sagephora steropastis, n. sp. ♂. 11mm. Head white, lower part of face and two streaks on crown dark fuscous. Palpi blackish, terminal joint white with a black subbasal ring. Antennæ ochreous-white, obscurely dotted with dark fuscous, with a dark fuscous band about ¾. Thorax blackish, with three longitudinal streaks and inner half of patagia white. Abdomen grey. Legs blackish, ringed with whitish (posterior pair broken). Forewings elongate, costa gently arched, apex round-pointed, hind-margin extremely obliquely rounded; blackish-fuscous; a very irregular pale ochreous streak from base along fold to ⅓, thence along inner margin to near anal angle; from apex of this proceeds a zigzag ochreous-whitish line near hindmargin to costa at ⅚: cilia whitish-fuscous, towards base barred with dark fuscous and whitish. Hindwings grey; cilia pale grey. One specimen. Although S. phortegella varies much, I have not seen any form at all nearly approaching this. Lypusidæ. Mallobathra homalopa, n. sp. ♀. 14mm. Head, palpi, antennæ, thorax, and abdomen dark fuscous; palpi short; antennal ciliations 3. Legs dark fuscous, ringed with whitish-ochreous. Forewings elongate, moderate, costa gently arched, sinuate in middle, apex rounded, hindmargin very obliquely, slightly rounded; dark fuscous; a

subquadrate pale brownish-ochreous spot on inner margin before middle, and a smaller one before anal angle: cilia dark fuscous. Hindwings and cilia dark fuscous. One specimen. It comes nearest to M. cratæa, but differs from that species by the absence of costal spots and of pale irroration. Boarmiadæ. Boarmia, Tr. I have been led to modify my conclusions with regard to some of the species in this genus by the examination of a number of specimens sent by Mr. A. Purdie, of Dunedin, and of those in the British Museum collection; the group is certainly puzzling from the great variability of most of the species, but I think the following alterations may be made:— Boarmia rudiata, Walk. (Cidaria rudisata, Walk., 1420; Boarmia astrapia, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 1889, 218.) Walker's name, which I had overlooked on account of the bad condition of the specimen, should, I think, be substituted for mine: but I have altered its extraordinary orthography. Boarmia suavis, Butl. The species described by me as B. lupinata, Feld., appears not to be the true lupinata; it must therefore bear the above name, and usitata, Butl., is correctly referred as a synonym of it. It is a very variable insect, but is usually easily recognisable by the characteristic form of the second line. When dark longitudinal streaks are present, they lie on the submedian fold, and not along the inner margin itself. Boarmia lupinata, Feld. This appears to be a good species, distinct from any other. I do not possess a specimen, but have seen two or three from Dunedin. It is somewhat larger than the last, with the forewings of rather a peculiar light brownish-grey colour (perhaps variable), indistinctly marked somewhat as in B. rudiata, with a dark streak along the inner margin, and the subterminal line appearing (through its conjunction with a pale apical streak) to terminate in apex.