Art. XIII.—Descriptions of New Species of Lepidoptera.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 49, 1916, Page 239

Art. XIII.—Descriptions of New Species of Lepidoptera. By Alfred Philpott. Communicated by Dr. W. B. Benham, F.R.S. [Read before the Otago Institute, 5th September, 1916, received by Editors, 30th December, 1916, issued separately, 16th July, 1917.] Caradrinidae. Aletia munda n. sp. ♂. 33–34 mm. Head and thorax dark grey. Palpi grey, stout, and rather short. Antennae in ♂ moderately serrate, fasciculate-ciliated to apex. Abdomen pale fuscous-grey. Forewings rather short, costa almost straight, apex rounded, termen evenly rounded, oblique; grey, rather bluish-tinted; an irregular double interrupted black line at ⅓; orbicular moderate, rounded, open above and beneath, ringed with ochreous-white margined with black; claviform irregularly rounded, touching first line, black; reniform broad, ringed with ochreous-white, black-margined; an obscure dentate median dark line passing between orbicular and reniform; second line indicated by a chain of black lunules; subterminal line parallel to termen, ochreous-white, anteriorly black-margined, serrate; a series of black dots on termen: cilia fuscous with paler basal line. Hindwings dark shining fuscous; a black line round termen: cilia pale fuscous with a darker median line. Nearest to A. moderata (Walk.), but the stigmata, especially the prominent reniform, are quite different. Taken at Waiouru in March by Mr. H. W. Simmonds. I am indebted to Dr. J. A. Thomson, of the Dominion Museum, for the opportunity of describing this form, two good examples having been forwarded by him for that purpose. Type (♂) in coll. Dominion Museum. Aletia accurata n. sp. ♂. 34 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax grey slightly tinged with brown; terminal joint of palpi rather elongate. Antennae in ♂ very shortly ciliated. Abdomen ochreous-brown. Forewings, costa almost straight, apex rectangularly rounded, termen bowed, slightly oblique; olive-grey; veins marked with white interrupted by black dots; lines almost obsolete, faintly indicated by white scales; orbicular well defined, ovate, filled with white, finely margined with black; reniform rather narrow, bluntly projecting at lower anterior corner, white-ringed, finely margined with black; termen serrately margined with white: cilia brown. Hindwings fuscous-grey-brown: cilia grey with darker median line. The form of the stigmata differentiates this species from its allies. It has a peculiarly neat and smooth appearance. Titahi Bay (Wellington), December. The type (coll. M. O. Pascoe) is the only example at present known. Hydriomenidae. Chloroclystis furva n. sp. ♂. 17–20 mm. Head, palpi, thorax, and abdomen dark reddish-brown sprinkled sparsely with grey and black. Antennae black, annulated with

whitish, in ♂ ciliate-fasciculate, ciliations 4. Forewings triangular, costa slightly sinuate, apex obtuse, termen angulated at middle, subsinuate beneath; dark dull-reddish-brown; numerous obscure bluish-green and black transverse lines; upper half or second line frequently more prominently greenish and followed by a rather broad reddish band, a thin waved bluish-green subterminal line usually present: cilia fuscous-grey, suffusedly barred and mixed with darker. Hindwings in ♂ slightly but broadly projecting on middle of termen; dark greyish-fuscous; veins dotted with whitish scales, dorsal fasciae hardly indicated: cilia as in forewings. Near C. rivalis Philp., but much darker in appearance, the details of wing-shape also show considerable differences. Mount Cleughearn, Hunter Mountains, in January. The male was found commonly in a restricted spot at about 3,250 ft. No females were obtained. Chloroclystis humilis n. sp. ♂♀. 22–25 mm. Head, palpi, thorax, and abdomen grey sprinkled with black. Palpi in ♀ 3½, in ♂ slightly less. Antennae in ♂ evenly ciliated, ¾. Forewings rather narrow, costa hardly arched, termen bowed, strongly oblique; fuscous-grey, irrorated with black, sometimes with faint pink suffusion; numerous waved white lines, more prominent on apical half of wing; margin of the slightly darker basal portion of wing sharply and triangularly indented opposite discal spot; a black line along termen: cilia whitish-grey with fuscous median line. Hindwings, termen unevenly rounded, in ♂ deeply sinuate above middle; greyish-white with numerous incomplete waved bluish lines: cilia grey, obscurely barred with fuscous. Nearest to C. sphragitis (Meyr.), but showing no greenish coloration. Queenstown and Ben Lomond Discovered by Mr. M. O. Pascoe, who secured several examples of each sex in November and December. Types: ♂ in coll. M. O. Pascoe, ♀ in coll. A. Philpott. Hydriomena expolita n. sp. ♂. 30 mm. Head, palpi, and antennae purplish-grey. Thorax fuscous-brown mixed with grey. Abdomen fuscous-grey with some reddish scales laterally. Forewings moderate, triangular, costa moderately arched, apex subacute, termen sinuate, oblique; whitish-grey with faint purplish tinge; markings dark purplish-fuscous, basal line thick, evenly curved, projecting angularly at middle; anterior margin of median band inwardly oblique beneath costa at ⅓, thence broadly excurved to dorsum at ¼; posterior margin from ⅔ costa to ¾ dorsum, with strong broad apically-indented projection at middle; traces of a thin waved white subterminal line; an oblique suffused purplish-fuscous fascia from apex: cilia grey, obscurely barred with fuscous, tips whitish. Hindwings elongate, termen angularly projecting at middle, purplish-grey; basal half darker, being marked off by a median fascia parallel to termen: cilia as in forewings. Undersides. Forewings ochreous-reddish with the upper markings faintly reproduced, hindwings ochreous-reddish, terminal half suffused with whitish. Nearest to H. triphragma (Meyr.), from which it differs chiefly in the shape of the posterior margin of the median band. Discovered by Mr. J. H. Lewis at Broken River, Canterbury. Seven or eight examples were taken, but I have not been able to ascertain the dates of capture.

Xanthorhoe umbrosa n. sp. ♂♀. 33–40 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax dull-greenish, tinged with ochreous and sprinkled with blackish. Antennae moderately bipectinated, brownish-ochreous. Abdomen ochreous-grey with paired black dorsal dots on each segment. Forewings triangular, costa almost straight, termen waved, bowed, oblique; dull green, ochreous-tinged; veins interruptedly outlined in black; numerous obscure irregularly-dentate fuscous transverse fasciae; five of these fasciae, having the interspaces suffused with fuscous, form the median band, anterior margin of which is irregularly curved from ⅓ costa to ⅓ dorsum, the posterior margin, from ⅔ costa to ⅔ dorsum, has a moderate blunt double projection at middle, a black discal dot; an obscure waved pale subterminal line, suffusedly margined with fuscous anteriorly; a waved black terminal line: cilia greenish-grey, mixed and suffusedly barred with fuscous, and with a pale median line. Hindwings with termen rounded, crenate; greenish-grey; the markings of the forewings faintly reproduced but less curved and dentate; a prominent black crenate terminal line: cilia as in forewings. Undersides grey, with fuscous markings of upper sides clearly shown. In form of wing and markings this species approaches X. cedrinodes Meyr. From the greenish forms of the genus it is at once distinguished by its much larger size. Mount Cleughearn, Hunter Mountains, at about 3,250 ft. Common in January at flowers of Dracophyllum longifolium. The female appears to be rare; out of nineteen specimens taken only one belonged to that sex. Xanthorhoe nebulosa n. sp. ♂♀. 34 mm. Head, thorax, and abdomen whitish-ochreous finely sprinkled with fuscous. Antennae in ♂, with rather short pectinations. Forewings triangular, costa strongly arched, sinuate at middle, apex moderately sharp, termen subsinuate, oblique; ochreous-grey-whitish; termen broadly margined with greyish-fuscous; costal edge very narrowly fuscous; a thin curved brown line near base; first line (anterior edge of median band) irregularly subdentate, curved, brown, from ⅓ costa to ⅓ dorsum; second line (posterior edge of median band) irregular, slight triple projection at middle, excurved beneath, from ⅔ costa to ¾ dorsum, brown; an obscure waved pale subterminal line: cilia greyish-ochreous. Hindwings ochreous-grey-whitish; a median fascia and a broad terminal band greyish-fuscous: cilia greyish-ochreous. Near X subobscurata (Walk.), but smaller and differently marked. One of each sex taken at Clarence River and Coverham (Marlborough) in February and March by Dr. J. A. Thomson and Mr. H. Hamilton. Types (♂ and ♀) in coll. Dominion Museum. Notoreas villosa n. sp. ♂. 35–38 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax ochreous-brown. Antennae, stalk whitish, annulated with black, pectinations 2 mm. Abdomen black, densely strewn with yellowish-white scales, anal tuft ochreous. Forewings moderate, costa hardly arched, almost straight, termen bowed, oblique; light ochreous-brown, often densely strewn with white scales; markings white; first line bent outwardly beneath costa, thence inwardly oblique to dorsum, posteriorly dark-margined, often obsolete on upper portion; a suffused median shade sometimes present; second line broad, inwardly

oblique, twice sinuate, anteriorly dark-margined; a thin dark line parallel to second line, sometimes obsolete; subterminal broad, waved, parallel to termen: cilia yellowish-white, barred with fuscous, and with a fuscous basal line. Hindwings rather narrow; brownish-fuscous, densely sprinkled with grey-whitish on basal ⅔; two parallel curved white fasciae beyond middle, second sometimes obsolete. cilia as in forewings. Undersides ochreous-brown; second and subterminal lines of forewings and post-median lines of hindwings usually indicated; a dark discal spot on both wings. ♀. 16 mm. Semiapterous. Forewings oblong, apex subacute, termen hardly rounded, oblique. Hindwings oblong, slightly narrower than forewings, termen and dorsum slightly concave. Legs and antennae normally developed. Palpi small and not densely haired. Legs fuscous, tarsal joints annulated with white. The rest of the insect is white minutely speckled with dark fuscous, and with a slight ochreous tint on head and anterior portion of thorax. In this species the antennal pectinations reach their highest development, and it is significant that this is comcident with the semiapterous condition of the female. It is probable that N villosa is an offshoot from N. orphnaea (Meyr.), that species being attached to rocky and shingly ground, while the former has become adapted to areas covered with more ample vegetation. Common from December to February in well-grassed situations at from 3,000 ft. to 4,000 ft. The male was first met with on The Hump (Waiau) in 1910, and was subsequently found on the Hunter Mountains. The female was not discovered till December, 1915, when three specimens were taken by Mr. C. C. Fenwick on The Hump. So far, the two localities mentioned are the only ones in which the species has been observed, but in all probability it also occurs on the intervening Princess Range. Crambidae Orocrambus cultus n. sp. ♂♀. 24–26 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax dark ochreous-brown, in ♀ lighter. Abdomen ochreous-grey-brown. Forewings elongate, costa slightly arched at base, thence almost straight, apex rectangular, termen bowed, not oblique; brownish-ochreous, finely sprinkled with black and, in ♀, with grey; a rather broad central ochreous-white streak from base to ⅖, margined with blackish beneath and round apex, a suffused and interrupted whitish transverse fascia at ⅔, second line prominent, white, shortly oblique towards termen, thence straight to before tornus, margined anteriorly with a series of black dashes: cilia fuscous-grey, tips and a series of obscure basal dots white. Hindwings fuscous-grey, in ♀ slightly ochreous-tinged: cilia grey-whitish with a fuscous median line. Not far removed from O machaeristis Meyr., but differing in the presence of the well-defined second line, the basal streak is also much shorter. Discovered by Mr. M. O. Pascoe on Cecil Peak, Wakatipu, at an altitude of about 6,000 ft. The examples (two of each sex) were secured early in January and on the 25th February. Types in coll. M. O. Pascoe. Crambus scutatus n. sp. ♂. 29–32 mm. Head and palpi ochreous-brown. Thorax brown with broad suffused ochreous-whitish central stripe. Abdomen greyish-ochreous. Forewings moderate, somewhat oblong, costa rather strongly and evenly

arched, apex subacute, termen subsinuate, oblique; greyish-ochreous-brown; a narrow whitish-ochreous stripe beneath costa from base to apex; extreme costal edge brown, dilated on apical half; a rather broad straight white central stripe, narrowly margined above and beneath with brown; an obscure whitish-ochreous streak along dorsum: cilia grey-whitish, darker round tornus. Hindwings dark brownish-fuscous: cilia whitish-ochreous with fuscous basal line. Nearest to C. oppositus Philp., but the forewings are not dilated posteriorly and there are several minor distinctions in the character of the pale stripes. Longwood Range. Five males amongst rough herbage on the open tops at about 2,700 ft. in December. Pryaustid&Aelig;. Scoparia fimbriata n. sp. ♂. 20 mm. Head and thorax ochreous-brown. Palpi elongate, whitish beneath. Antennae in ♂ moderately bipectinate; brown. Abdomen greyish-ochreous. Forewings elongate-triangular, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen almost straight, slightly oblique; pale ochreous-brown, darker basally; first line whitish, slightly sinuate and inwardly oblique, broadly margined posteriorly with blackish-brown; reniform 8-shaped, upper half filled with blackish-brown, lower half brown-ringed, pale; some dark suffusion beneath costa between first and second lines; second line thin, indistinct, pale, clearly margined anteriorly with blackish-brown, broadly indented below costa and irregularly dentate on lower half: cilia ochreous with interrupted blackish-brown basal line. Hindwings and cilia ochreous-grey; lunule and subterminal line fuscous. Extremely similar to S. acompa Meyr., but somewhat broader-winged. The antennal structure of the male at once distinguishes it. Mount Cleughearn, Hunter Mountains, in an open spot in the forest at about 2,750 ft. Three specimens in December and January. Mecyna adversa n. sp. ♂♀. 20–21 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax ferruginous, palpi white beneath. Abdomen ochreous. Forewings triangular, costa slightly sinuate in middle, moderately arched on posterior half, apex subacute, termen sinuate, oblique; ferruginous, narrowly brighter along costa; an irregular transverse outwardly-oblique white discal dot at middle; a dark second line obscurely indicated: cilia dark brown with pale median line. Hindwings yellow, with discal dot and broad terminal band fuscous: cilia fuscous. Distinguished from M. notata (Butl.), its nearest ally, by the outwardly-oblique discal spot of forewings. Discovered by Mr. G. W. Howes at Queenstown in the last week of February, 1912. Mr. C. E. Clarke has since secured the species in the same locality about the middle of February. Tortricidae. Epichorista tenebrosa n. sp. ♂ 25–28 mm.; ♀ 22 mm. Head and palpi ochreous-grey mixed with brown, palpi 3. Antennal ciliations of ♂ 1½. Thorax purplish-brown sprinkled with brown. Abdomen ochreous-grey. Forewings elongate-triangular in ♂, suboblong in ♀, costa almost straight, without fold, apex

obtuse, termen subsinuate, hardly oblique; dull grey-brown with purplish gloss and numerous obscure strigulations of reddish or fuscous; margin of basal patch usually indicated by a more pronounced irregular strigula; median fascia from ⅓ costa, irregular, outwardly oblique, inner margin only marked: cilia grey mixed with brown. Hindwings fuscous-grey, obscurely mottled with darker cilia grey with darker basal line. In point of size comparable only with E elephantina (Meyr.), but that species appears to be widely dissimilar in colour and markings. In some specimens of E. tenebrosa the markings are almost entirely obsolete. Ben Lomond, in February. Discovered by Mr. C. E. Clarke, who has kindly placed at my service for description a series of six males and one female. Types (♂ and ♀) in coll C. E. Clarke. Heliodinidae Stathmopoda seminuda n. sp. ♂. 14 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax white. Antennae whitish, darker towards apex. Abdomen fuscous-grey. Forewings narrow, slightly dilated basally; leaden-fuscous, beneath fold shining white; median portion of fold margined with black, an obscure ochreous subcostal stripe from ¼ to ¾; some ochreous scales round tornus: cilia fuscous. Hindwings and cilia fuscous. An obscure form, nearest S. caminora Meyr., but the head in that species is yellowish. Rare. A single specimen taken at Invercargill in November, 1906. Mr. C. E. Clarke has recently secured a second example at Broad Bay, Dunedin, also in November. This latter specimen, being in excellent condition, has been made the type. Glyphipterygidae Glyphipteryx aenea n. sp. ♂. 11 mm. Head dark shining brown, with prismatic reflections Palpi loosely scaled, fuscous-brown, mixed with shining grey-whitish internally except at apex. Antennae dark fuscous. Thorax dark brass-coloured. Abdomen dark fuscous, anal tuft grey. Forewings lanceolate; shining brass-coloured, a snow-white stripe on costa from before middle to apex, attenuated anteriorly: cilia white on costa, grey on termen. Hindwings and cilia fuscous-grey. Nearest G. cionophora (Meyr.) in wing-shape; in ground-colour resembling G. codonias Meyr. and G. transversella Walk., but somewhat paler than either of these species. The Hump (Waiau), and Mount Burns, Hunter Mountains. From December to February at elevations of from 3,000 ft. to 3,500 ft. Plutellidae. Orthenches vinitincta n. sp. ♂. 15 mm. Head white, sprinkled with fuscous. Antennae white, basal joints greenish. Palpi whitish, second joint outwardly brownish-fuscous except at apex, terminal joint outwardly narrowly brownish-fuscous at base and apex. Thorax greyish-green, with a pair of black posterior median dots. Abdomen grey-whitish. Legs, anterior pair fuscous annulated with whitish, posterior pair grey, tarsi annulated with fuscous.

Forewings, costa subsinuate, apex broadly rounded, termen oblique beneath, dorsal half irregularly suffused with pink; costal half irrorated with fuscous and black; a rather prominent black dot on costa at ½ and a number of blackish strigulae on apical third; a distinct black discal dot; cilia brownish-pink; a broad black bar on tornus preceded by a narrow fuscous bar and followed by two small black patches. Hindwings elongate-ovate, with a ridge of long hairs on basal portion of vein 1c directed towards lower median; shining greyish-white: cilia white, round apex brownish-pink; an obscure dark basal line. Near O. prasinodes Meyr., but that species is not described as having any pink suffusion in forewings, and there are other differences. Rowallan (Waiau), in coastal forest. A single specimen taken by Mr. C. C. Fenwick in December. Type in coll. C. C. Fenwick. Tineidae. Mallobathra illustris n. sp. ♂. 15 mm. Head fuscous, the loose hair-scales tipped with greyish. Palpi comparatively elongate, second joint rough beneath, terminal joint rather pointed; fuscous tipped with greyish. Antennal. ciliations ½. Thorax and abdomen purplish-fuscous. Forewings, costa subsinuate, apex round-pointed, termen bowed, oblique; dull purplish-fuscous; markings creamy white; a large triangular patch on dorsum reaching from ¼ to ½, its apex about middle of disc; an obscure dot on costa above this, sometimes obsolete, an inwardly-oblique short fascia on costa beyond middle; a similar but smaller one before apex and an outwardly-oblique one between these two; a small triangular patch before tornus; three or four minute dots in apical half of wing: cilia purplish-fuscous with a white bar beneath apex and at tornus, and a broad white patch at middle. Hindwings and cilia light fuscous. Very distinct from any other species of the genus. The Hump, at about 3,000 ft. I have met with it rarely in December and February; Mr. C. C. Fenwick has also a specimen taken in December at the same locality.