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

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 51, 1919, Page 224

Art. XXII. — Descriptions of New Species of Lepidoptera. By Alfred Philpott. [Read before the Otago Institute, 10th December, 1918; received by Editor, 27th December. 1918; issued separately, 20th June, 1919.] Pyraustidae. Scoparia illota n. sp. ♂ ♀ 18–20 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax fuscous-brown mixed with grey. Antennae fuscous, ciliations very short. Abdomen grey, anal tuft ochreous. Legs fuscous, posterior pair paler, apex of tarsal joints narrowly whitish. Forewings elongate, triangular, blackish-fuscous, densely irrorated with white: first line broad, curved, bluntly angled at middle, white;

second line distinct, sinuate beneath costa, thence almost straight inwardly oblique to dorsum, white; subterminal broad, widely and deeply indented at middle, white: cilia grey with fuscous median and subapical lines. Hindwings grey, infuscated round termen: cilia as in forewings but paler. Nearest S. cyptastis Meyr., from which it differs in the more strongly curved first line, and in the second line being sinuate, not indented, beneath costa. It may be regarded as the forest representative of cyptastis. I took one specimen at Cromarty (Preservation Inlet) in March, 1911. In December, 1917, Mr. C. E. Clarke and myself found it not uncommon from Blue Cliffs to Knife-and-Steel Boat-harbour. It is therefore probably distributed throughout the coastal forest of Fiord County. Tortricidae. Tortrix inusitata n. sp ♂. 20–21 mm. Head and thorax brownish-ochreous. Palpi rather long, fuscous-grey, tinged with ochreous outwardly. Antennae pale ochreous with dark annulations, ciliations 1 ½ Abdomen ochreous-grey, bright ochreous beneath, anal tuft blackish. Legs pale ochreous, tarsi broadly annulated with black. Forewings triangular, costa moderately arched, apex obtuse, termen sinuate, hardly oblique, tornal angle broadly rounded, purplish-fuscous; a narrow basal patch bright ochreous, extending along costa to about 1/3; extreme costal edge sometimes ochreous throughout; an outwardly-oblique dark striga obscurely indicated at ½; some undefined dark dots on costa: cilia purplish-fuscous, paler round tornus. Hindwings ochreous-grey with numerous dark strigulae: cilia as in forewings but paler. Distinguished from T. excessana (Walk.), its nearest ally, by the strongly contrasted basal patch. Mr. C. E. Clarke has taken a few examples at Waitati, Dunedin, in forest, in the months of October and November. I have taken a single specimen near Invercargill in November. Type in coll. C. E. Clarke. Nepticulidae. Nepticula lucida n. sp ♂♀ 5 ½– 6 ½ mm. Head greyish - white. Antennae black. Thorax fuscous. Abdomen black. Legs greyish-black. Forewings in ♂ elongate, rather broad basally, apex broadly rounded, in ♀ lanceolate, shining dark fuscous; a broad outwardly-curved white band at 3/5: cilia fuscous. Hind-wings and cilia dull fuscous-black. Differing from any described New Zealand members of the genus in the dark coloration and the striking white band on forewings. Discovered by Mr. C. E. Clarke. Several beaten from the foliage of Nothofagus at Waitati (Dunedin) in November.