Art. XXVIII.—On some New Species of Lepidoptera.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 37, 1904, Page 328

Art. XXVIII.—On some New Species of Lepidoptera. By Alered Philpott. Communicated by G. V. Hudson. [Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 2nd November, 1904.] Plate XX. Melanchra decorata, n. sp. Plate XX., fig. 2. ♂, ♀, 38 mm. Head and palpi grey-yellowish. Antennae simple in both sexes. Thorax with strong anterior bifid crest, less pronounced in ♀, grey yellowish mixed with brown; patagiae outwardly bordered with brown; a white line on collar followed by a black line. Abdomen with series of crests, grey -yellowish. Fore wings: Costa almost straight, termen slightly waved and faintly sinuate, pale brownish-yellow (in some examples tinged with pink) mixed with whitish on basal half of costa; a very dark reddish-brown shade from middle of base to termen above tornus, bordered beneath from about ⅓ by conspicuous white fascia which is bent sharply upwards at ¾; a short brown streak from base below middle; orbicular oblique, faintly outlined in brown; reniform large, pale, outlined in brown; space between orbicular and reniform dark reddish-brown, connected with costa by narrow projection; two brown spots on costa above reniform; a faint double waved line from costa at ¾; subterminal indistinct, pale, waved, bordered with bright reddish-brown; veins faintly

marked with brownish; cilia brownish-yellow, suffusedly barred with dark-brown. Hind wings fuscous, tinged with pink, lighter near base; cilia grey with dark line. Very distinct; it is perhaps allied to M. diatmeta, but is not likely to be mistaken for that species. The single male I possess is not in good condition, and does not show the markings to the same extent as the female. The species is figured from a ♀ in fine condition lent to me for the purpose by Mr. Robt. Gibb, of Tuturau. A rare species, taken in October at “sugar.” West Plains, Tuturau. Melanchra levis., Plate XX., fig. 4. ♂, ♀, 35 mm. Head and palpi dull greenish. Thorax with strong thick pointed anterior crest, greenish-brown; collar broadly yellowish-brown; patagia brighter green. Abdomen dull - brownish, slightly greenish - tinged. Fore wings: Costa straight; apex rounded; termen straight, rounded beneath, brown faintly tinged with green, markings very obscure, blackish; a thin double line near base; a suffused patch at angle of dorsum near base; a faint curved line at ⅓, followed by oblique interrupted line not reaching dorsum; a fine bent line at½ posteriorly bordering orbicular and becoming obsolete at middle of wing; a similar line anteriorly bordering reniform; subterminal line pale-greenish, suffusedly and interruptedly bordered with blackish; cilia pale-greenish mixed with brown. Hind wings greyish, fuscous, paler towards base, cilia grey with obscure darker line Belongs to the smaller exquisita-coeleno group, but does not closely resemble any species. Taken at “sugar” sparingly in September and October. West Plains. Leucania stulta, n. sp. Plate XX., fig. 1. ♂, ♀, 41 mm. Head, palpi, thorax, and abdomen pale-fawn; dark line on collar, suffusedly bordered with whitish. Antennae brown, basal portion whitish, shortly ciliated in male. Fore wings slightly dilated; costa uniformly arched; apex roundpointed; termen slightly oblique, rounded; pale-fawn; markings dark reddish-brown; a short streak from near base beneath to ¼; a suffused irregular streak from middle of base to termen above anal angle, almost interrupted before middle; a suffused streak from ⅓, attenuated anteriorly and much dilated towards termen, divided on lower portion by whitish borders of veins; one or two short apical streaks above this; cilia brownish on termen, fawn beneath. Hind wings fuscous; cilia whitish with dark line.

Not easily compared with any other Leucania. October to December. Not common. I have not taken the male at West Plains, and have figured that sex from a specimen kindly supplied by Mr. Gibb, who has taken a few examples at Tuturau. Leucania neuree, n. sp. Plate XX., fig. 5. ♂, 36 mm. Antennae strongly dentate, fasciculate; brown, with white spot at base. Head and thorax dull ochreous-brown. Abdomen pale greyish-brown. Fore wings: Costa straight, apex slightly rounded, termen straight, rounded beneath; dull-brown; veins sharply marked in black with scattered white scales; a white spot on vein 1b at¼; a conspicuous white spot at origin of veins 3 and 4; a curved series of white dots on veins from about ⅘ of costa to ⅘ of dorsum; cilia same colour as wing, tips whitish. Hind wings dull-fuscous, paler at base and dorsum.; cilia pale greyish-white with darker line. Distinguished from L. micrastra, its nearest ally, by the smaller size, duller colour and paler cilia of the hind wings. Leucania toroneura differs from this species in the much lighter ground-colour and the absence of white spots. Two males taken at “sugar”; date uncertain. West Plains. Xanthorhoe imperfecta, n. sp. Plate XX., fig. 6. ♂, ♀ 29 mm. Head, thorax, and abdomen brownishochreous. Fore wings ochreous, in male often reddish on costa and about apex. The usual lines are in the male reduced to irregular blackish costal spots; in the female these costal spots give rise to very faint transverse waved lines. White spots follow most of the dark costal spots, and there is a fairly conspicuous pair at ⅔; cilia ochreous, barred with blackish. Hind wings ochreous; cilia greyish-ochreous mixed with darker. Nearest to X. ceyrota, but easily distinguished by the brighter ground-colour and the white costal spots. Fairly common in low-lying bush districts in January. West Plains; probably generally distributed in suitable localities. Xanthorhoe recta, n. sp. Plate XX., fig. 3. ♂, 31 mm. Head, thorax, and abdomen ochreous. Fore wings moderate, greyish - ochreous, irregularly suffused with reddish especially towards costa, markings brownish; first line before ⅓, curved, anteriorly edged with grey; median band formed of three or four thin lines with narrow spaces of groundcolour between; the first of these is almost straight and rather darker than the others; the posterior edge of the last one is irregular with two strong projections below middle; this is followed

by a narrow band of pale-greyish, almost white in some examples; a broad band of brown from ⅘ of costa to tornus posteriorly waved and followed by a waved pale line; cilia long, brownish-pink. Hind wings long, narrow, pale-yellow; a terminal series of indistinct linear brownish spots; cilia pink. Apparently allied to the clarata group, but not closely approaching any species. Received from Mr. J. H. Lewis, Ida Valley. Mr. George Howes has also met with it near Dunedin.