Notes and Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 62, 1931-32, Page 26

Notes and Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera. By C. R. Alfred Philpott, Hon. Entomologist, Auckland Museum. [Issued separately, 23rd May, 1931.] Selidosemidae. Selidosema melinata Feld., Reis Nov., 129, 9. S. scariphota Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 47, 202. I think the above emendation is necessary. There is a good series of melinata in the Clarke coll. and also an example of scariphota, verified by Mr. Hudson. I cannot see any definite distinctions between the two species. Phycitidae. Epicrocis sublignalis Walk. An example of this Australian insect taken at Lake Rotomahana in February, 1915, is in the Clarke collection. For the determination of this and three or four other Australian species mentioned below, I am indebted to Dr. A. Jefferis Turner, who has also very kindly supplied notes on the distribution of the different forms. Dr. Turner states that sublignalis is extremely abundant in East Australia and is also found in Tasmania and Lord Howe Island. He suggests that it may have been imported into New Zealand in fodder. ♂. 25 mm. Head, thorax and abdomen fawn. Maxillary palpi with an apical bunch of long radiating hair-scales. Forewings with costa almost straight, apex obtuse, termen oblique; fawn sprinkled with white along costa and dorsum; a linear brown apical mark and some brown on dorsum. Hindwings pale ochreous, faintly purplish brown tinged round apex and termen. Crambidae. Crambus malacellus Dup. A specimen of this widely distributed species was taken by Mr. C. E. Clarke at Whangarei in January. Dr. Turner says that it is found in Europe, India, Africa, Ceylon, Borneo and the East Coast of Australia as far as Sydney. ♂. 22 mm. Head white, palpi white, brown externally. Thorax white, tegulae purplish brown. Abdomen ochreous. Forewings narrow, costa slightly arched, apex acute, termen falcate; purplish brown; a broad snow-white stripe along upper half of wing, attenuated apically, and a similar but narrower stripe along dorsum. Hindwings white faintly tinged with brown round termen. Tawhitia n. g. Palpi, legs (except tibiae and tarsi) and thorax beneath densely haired, less so in ♀. Terminal segment of palpi concealed.

Fig. 1.—Tawhitia glaucophanes (Meyr.). A, forewing: B, hindwing. Fig. 2.—Tauroscopa gorgopis Meyr. A, forewing; B, hindwing.

Antennae stout, filiform, pubescent. Maxillary palpi concealed in tuft of long hair. Forewings with 8 and 9 stalked, 7 and 8 closely approximated at origin. Hindwings with cell open (upper ⅔, frequently more, of the transverse vein being absent), 4 and 5 connate or closely approximated, 6 out of 7, 7 and 8 anastomosing from (sometimes before) origin of 6 halfway to apex, basal portion of 7 lying close beneath 8. Genotype: Tauroscopa glaucophanes Meyr. (Figs. 1 and 3). Dr. A. J. Turner pointed out to me, several years ago, the difference in venational structure between glaucophanes and other species of Tauroscopa, and this, and the discovery that the male genitalia of the former were of a quite different type to the other species, convinced me that the erection of a new genus was advisable. The transverse vein is still represented in the genus by a vestige, which bends sharply backward from the origin of vein 5. This usually reaches to about the origin of vein 2, but is sometimes much shorter. Tawhitia leonina n. sp. (Fig. 4). ♂ ♀. 24–29 mm. Head, palpi and thorax pale tawny. Antennae blackish. Abdomen dark fuscous, anal tuft tawny. Legs fuscous mixed with whitish ochreous, anterior tarsi suffusedly annulated with ochreous. Forewings suboblong, costa subsinuate, apex rounded, termen bowed, not oblique; light tawny; first line indicated by blackish posterior margining, slightly outwards curved, sharply indented below costa and broadly so beneath middle; second line faintly indicated, broadly excurved, serrated; an obscure but fairly large second discal spot usually present. fringes concolourous with wing. Hindwings greyish fuscous: fringes greyish fuscous with tips whitish and a dark basal line. Differs from T. glaucophanes Meyr. in colour, a superficial character which is supported by differences in the male genitalia. Occasionally a specimen of glaucophanes may vary towards the colour-character of leonina, but in the latter there seems to be practically no variation. Takitimu Mountains, in January. A good series of both sexes secured. Holotype (♀) allotype (♂) and a series of paratypes in collection Cawthron Institute. Pyraustidae. Scoparia subita (Philp.) Orocrambus subitus Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 44, 116. As intimated in a previous paper (Trans. N.Z. Inst., 60, 497), the above systematic emendation is necessary. Scoparia contexta n. sp. ♂ ♀. 29–32 mm. Head, palpi and thorax bluish grey. Antennae greyish fuscous, pubescent. Abdomen whitish grey. Legs fuscous, mixed with whitish, tarsi annulated with whitish. Forewings

elongate-triangular, costa subsinuate, apex rounded, termen bowed, oblique; bluish white; markings dull fuscous; 1st line irregular, hardly oblique; orbicular elongate-ovate, pale centred; claviform not indicated; reniform large, irregularly quadrangular, pale-marked interiorly; 2nd line deeply and angularly indented below costa; an obscure blotch opposite indentation of 2nd line; a line round termen, tending to break up into spots: fringes fuscous grey. Hindwings ochreous grey, tinged with fuscous round termen: fringes ochreous whitish. Fig. 3.—Tawhitia glaucophanes Meyr. A, male genitalia, lateral view; B, harpe, inner view. Fig. 4.—Tawhitia leonina n. sp. A, male genitalia, lateral view; B, harpe, inner view. Belongs to the petrina group, but is distinguished from its allies by the bluish white ground colour. Mount Moltke, from 4,000 ft. to 5,000 ft., in January. Three males and a female captured by Mr. C. E. Clarke. Holotype (♂), which is the only example in good condition in coll. Auckland Museum. Scoparia gyrotoma Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 41, 7. Scoparia repercussa Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 60, 301. Mr. G. V. Hudson has pointed out to me that my repercussa is equal to gyrotoma Meyr. All examples of gyrotoma in New Zealand collections are in very poor condition, but on close re-examination I have no doubt that repercussa must sink as a synonym of gyrotoma. Pyralidae. Aglossa cuprealis Hb. A specimen taken by Mr. Clarke at Papakura, Auckland, in January. Meyrick (Revised Handbook of British Lepidoptera,

p. 446) states that the species is found in England, Central and South Europe, Central Asia, North Africa, North and South America and Australia. The larva occurs in silken galleries amongst chaff, maize, etc. ♂. 22 mm. Head and thorax dark purplish brown. Abdomen ochreous mixed with brown. Forewings with costa straight, ápex moderately acute, termen rounded, oblique; dark purplish brown mixed with ochreous; lines ochreous, serrate; 1st moderately broad, outwardly oblique; an indistinct interrupted median line; 2nd strongly and broadly excurved in disc. Hindwings pale ochreous white. Gauna aegalis Walk. Apparently not uncommon in the Auckland Province. The Clarke collection contains several taken at Papakura in December and January, and Mr. A. T. Pycroft has taken two or three near Auckland city in September and January. Dr. Turner gives the Australasian distribution as from Brisbane to Tasmania and states that the larvae feed on woody galls on various species of Acacia. ♂ ♀. 24–30 mm. Head, thorax and abdomen pinkish brown sprinkled with ochreous. Forewings elongate-triangular, costa sinuate, apex moderately acute, termen sinuate, oblique; pinkish brown; costa dotted from base to 2nd line with ochreous; 1st line ochreous, inwardly oblique, strongly margined on lower ⅔ with dark reddish brown; 2nd line ochreous, gently excurved on upper ¾ then sharply bent outwards to dorsum; terminal area dark reddish brown, paler towards tornus. Hindwings pinkish brown towards base and reddish brown towards termen; space between 1st and second lines whitish ochreous sprinkled with brown. Eucosmidae. Eucosma mochlophorana Meyr. Exoria mochlophorana Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 15, 65. Epiblema aphrias Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. (1901), 578. Eucosma mochlophorana Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 43, 88. Eucosma aphrias Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 47, 198. Raumatia trimaculata Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 59, 488. Eucosma potamias Meyr. Eurythecta potamias Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 41, 11. Raumatia potamias Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 59, 488. Eucosma fugitivana Meyr. Protithona fugitivana Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 15, 62. Eucosma fugitivana Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 43, 88. Eurythecta varia Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 48, 421. Raumatia varia Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 59, 488. Correspondence with Mr. E. Meyrick has resulted in the elucidation of the synonymy of the above three species of Eucosmidae. Should it be held advisable to remove these species generically from Eucosma, mochlorphorana should be placed in Exoria and potamias and fugitivana in Protithona.

Acharneodes querula Meyr. Eucosma querula Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 44, 125. I learn from Mr. E. Meyrick that in 1926 he formed the genus Acharneodes to include querula and a few other species, the type being helota Meyr., I subjoin the diagnosis of the genus. “Palpi moderate, subascending; second joint expanded with dense scales towards apex; terminal joint minute. Thorax without crest. Forewings in ♂ with or without costal fold; 3–5 not approximated towards termen. Hindwings in ♂ with more or less developed subdorsal hair-pencil in groove or dorsal fold; 3 and 4 connate, 5 closely approximated at base, 6 and 7 closely approximated towards base.” Elachistidae. Elachista stellata n. sp. ♂. 7.5 mm. Head, antennae, thorax and abdomen bronzy brown. Palpi bronzy brown mixed with whitish. Legs bronzy brown, tibial spines on posterior pair white. Forewings with costa subsinuate, apex rounded, termen very oblique; bronzy brown; a large snow-white spot on costa at ⅚ reaching halfway across wing: fringes fuscous grey. Hindwings and fringes greyish fuscous. The prominent white costal patch distinguishes this species from the other examples of the genus. Pembroke, in December. A single male taken by Mr. C. E. Clarke. Holotype (♂) in coll. Auckland Museum. Scythridae. Scythris nigra n. sp. ♂. 12 mm. Head, palpi, abdomen and thorax dark purplish fuscous. Antennae purplish fuscous, eiliations in ♂ ½. Legs dark purplish fuscous, tarsi without annulations. Forewings with costa moderately arched, bent at ⅓, apex acute, termen extremely oblique; dark purplish fuscous sparsely sprinkled with white scales: fringes dark fuscous. Hindwings and fringes dark fuscous. Recognisable at once by the very dark colouration. Mount Maungatua, in December. Two males taken by Mr. C. E. Clarke. Holotype (♂) in coll. Auckland Museum. Oecophoridae. Leptocroca aquilonaris n. sp. ♂ ♀. 16–20 mm. Head, palpi, antennae and thorax greyish fawn. Abdomen greyish fawn, segmental divisions paler. Legs greyish fawn, tarsi obscurely annulated with paler. Forewings with costa well arched, apex blunt-pointed, termen rounded, very oblique; pale greyish fawn more or less irrorated with dark brown; markings dark brown; a suffused blotch on costa at ¼, sometimes continued as an obscure fascia across wing and enclosing 1st discal and plical spots; plical rather larger than 1st discal and obliquely beyond it; 2nd discal obliquely transverse; an ill-defined blotch on costa at ⅗ a strongly angled subterminal line: fringes greyish fawn mixed

with dark brown. Hindwings and fringes greyish fawn, veins outlined in dark brown. Nearest to L. vacua Philp., but the male genitalic characters at once separate it. Kauri Gully, Auckland, and Whangarei, in January. Three males and a female, secured by Mr. C. E. Clarke. Holotype (♂) allotype (♂) and paratypes in coll. Auckland Museum. Leptocroca lenita n. sp. ♂. 18 mm. Head dull ochreous. Palpi ochreous, second segment fuscous externally except at apex. Antennae ochreous mixed with fuscous, ciliations in ♂ ¾. Thorax pale and dark brown mixed. Abdomen ochreous, middle of segments brassy. Legs ochreous, anterior pair fuscous. Forewings elongate, costa moderately arched, apex broadly rounded, termen rounded, oblique; ochreous white, densely irrorated with pale brown; markings obscurely formed by aggregations of brown scales; an irregular fascia from costa at base to dorsum at ⅓, enclosing a blackish brown spot below fold; a broad fascia from costa at ¼ to before tornus, enclosing rather large blackish brown 1st discal spot; plical spot small, blackish brown, obliquely beyond 1st discal; a very obscure fascia, indicated by patch on costa at ⅗, enclosing 2nd discal; an interrupted curved subterminal fascia: fringes whitish ochreous. Hindwings silvery grey: fringes ochreous. Paler in colour than any other member of the genus except L. lindsayi Philp., from which species it differs greatly in the male genitalia characters. The type specimen was found among some lepidoptera presented to the Auckland Museum by Mr. G. V. Hudson. From the donor I learn that it was captured in the Buller Gorge, near Newton's Flat, on 29th December, 1918. Holotype (♂) in coll. Auckland Museum. Gymnobathra aurata n. sp. ♂ ♀. 10–12 mm. Head, palpi and thorax purplish brown mixed with grey. Antennae fuscous, pubescent. Abdomen grey. Legs fuscous, posterior pair whitish grey, tarsi very obscurely annulated with paler. Forewings with costa slightly arched, apex broadly rounded, termen oblique; fuscous grey; some dark fuscous suffusion beneath costa at base; a large blotch of yellow beneath fold at base; a dark fuscous fascia with some admixture of yellow above fold from costa at ¼, slightly curved and not quite reaching dorsum with its extremity resting on a fairly large dorsal patch of yellow; an outwardly oblique dark fuscous fascia mixed with yellow from costa at ½ coalescing above tornus with a similar but inwardly oblique fascia from costa at ¾; a very obscure terminal fascia of the same colours; fringes fuscous grey sprinkled with dark fuscous and white. Hindwings and fringes fuscous grey. Not near any other Gymnobathra; superficially the species recalls a Borkhausenia of the xanthomicta group. Opoho, Dunedin, in November and December. One female and a series of males taken by Mr. C. E. Clarke. Holotype (♂) allotype (♀) and several paratypes in coll. Auckland Museum.

Trachypepla minuta n. sp. ♂. 9 mm. Head, palpi, thorax and abdomen dark purplish fuscous. Antennae purplish fuscous spotted with whitish ochreous, ciliations in ♂ 5. Legs purplish fuscous, tarsi obscurely annulated with pale brownish. Forewings with costa subsinuate, apex rounded, termen slightly rounded, oblique; dark fuscous sprinkled with whitish blue; scale-tufts and markings black, margined with bright ochreous; a curved transverse scale-tuft at ⅓ not quite reaching costa or dorsum; a similar but shorter tuft at ⅔; a subterminal line parallel to apex and termen, posteriorly margined with whitish blue; termen margined with black: fringes purplish fuscous. Hindwings bronzy fuscous: fringes dark fuscous with thick darker basal line. The small size of this handsome little species distinguishes it from all its New Zealand congeners at present described. A single male taken in the Domain, Auckland, in December. Holotype (♂) in coll. Auckland Museum. Proteodes clarkei, Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 56, 396. When I described this species only the male was available for examination, but I am now in a position to deal with the female also. In the Clarke collection there is a series of over 30 specimens of this brilliant species and among them is a single female. The sex is semiapterous. The forewings, which are of about normal length, are broadly lanceolate and the hindwings sabre-shaped. The colouring is as in the male. Carposinidae. Carposina marginata n. sp. ♂. 11 mm. Head and thorax white. Palpi white, fuscous laterally and beneath. Antennae white, ciliations in ♂ 2. Abdomen ochreous white. Legs fuscous mixed with whitish, posterior pair white. Forewings with costa moderately arched, apex rather angular, termen rounded, oblique; white, rather greyish except along costa; extreme edge of costa yellow more dilated on apical ½; markings black; a spot below fold at ¼; a spot well below costa at about ¼ and another immediately beneath it; a large spot just above fold not far beyond the latter; a spot below costa at ½; beyond this a spot in disc and another beneath and obliquely before it; a chain of spots round termen and a number of single black scales scattered about apical half of wing: fringes grey. Hindwings and fringes shining white. Nearest to C. maculosa Philp., but at once distinguished by the small size and the yellow margin of costa of forewing. Okoroire, in December. The unique specimen was captured by Mr. C. E. Clarke. Holotype (♂) in coll. Auckland Museum. Hlliodinidae. Stathmopoda albimaculata n. sp. ♂. 15 mm. Head, palpi and thorax grey mixed with fuscous. Antennae greyish fuscous. Abdomen grey mixed with fuscous and

ochreous. Legs fuscous, whorls of spines on posterior pair white. Forewings with costa almost straight, subsinuate, apex rounded, termen extremely oblique; dull greyish fuscous, a little darker on and below fold; an irregular white blotch below fold towards base; a similar blotch near apex: fringes greyish fuscous round apex dark fuscous. Hindwings and fringes greyish fuscous. No other Stathmopoda has the two white blotches which are the distinguishing marks of albimaculata. Woodside, Taieri, in December. The single female was taken by Mr. C. E. Clarke. Holotype (♂) in coll. Auckland Museum. Hyponomeutidae. Tanaoctena dubia n. sp. ♂. 18 mm. Head and palpi dull ochreous. Antennae strongly bipectinated and with dense pecten, brown. Thorax pale brown. Abdomen whitish ochreous. Legs ochreous, anterior pair fuscous, tarsi annulated with ochreous. Forewings elongate-oval, costa strongly arched, apex broadly rounded, termen rounded, oblique; dull brownish; an inwardly oblique thick blackish fuscous mark in disc at about ¼; a small round blackish fuscous discal dot at ⅔: fringes dull brown. Hindwings and fringes fuscous grey. Dr. A. J. Turner determines this peculiar form as being congeneric with the Australian T. ooptila Turn., though the venational characters do not wholly agree. Auckland, in January. One specimen taken by Mr. C. E. Clarke and a second by the late D. D. Milligan. Holotype (♂) in coll. Auckland Museum. Plutellidae. Orthenches disparilis n. sp. ♂. 14 mm. Head and thorax greyish brown, tegulae purplish. Palpi grey mixed with brown. Antennae brown annulated with white. Abdomen ochreous grey. Legs purplish brown mixed with whitish. Forewings with costa moderately arched, apex blunt pointed, termen hardly rounded, oblique; purplish fuscous, upper half of wing white, clear basally and becoming progressively more tinged with purplish fuscous after ½; extreme edge of costa purplish fuscous near base; a triangular projection of fuscous half into upper portion at ⅓ and a similar but larger projection at ⅔: fringes purplish fuscous. Hindwings subtrapezoidal; greyish white, purplish-tinged towards termen: fringes ochreous white. Superficially resembling some forms of O. chartularia, but the male genitalic characters are of a quite different character. Kauri Gully, Auckland, in January. A single male captured by Mr. C. E. Clarke. Holotype (♂) in coll. Auckland Museum. Orthenches chartularia Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 55, 205. O. nivalis Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 58, 89. I now consider nivalis to be a synonym of the variable chartularia.

Orthenches similis Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 55, 211. Mr. Hudson (B and M of 'N.Z., 329) treats this species as a synonym of O. senifasciata Philp., but the differences in the male genitalia are most marked. The best superficial difference is the character of the white tornal fascia, which in similis is prominent and not dilated apically, while in semifasciata it is represented, if at all, by a broadly triangular indentation from the whitish costal area. Mr. Hudson's figure (of semifasciata) appears to have been taken from a specimen of similis. Tineidae. Archyala culta n. sp. ♂. 15 mm. Head and palpi greyish brown. Antennae grey annulated with fuscous. Thorax brown. Abdomen greyish brown. Legs greyish ochreous, tarsi annulated with fuscous. Forewings elongate, costa sinuate before middle, apex round-pointed termen straight, oblique; light grey: numerous fine curved transverse dark fuscous strigulae from base to apex; a very dark obscure fuscous linear marking in disc: fringes grey mixed with fuscous; base pale and a sub-basal blackish fuscous line. Hindwings purplish fuscous, darker apically: fringes dark greyish fuscous with darker basal line. Somewhat resembling A. paraglypta Meyr., but the peculiar outline of the costa of forewings is a good distinguishing character; there is also no tendency for the strigulae to coalesce in pairs. Opoho, Dunedin, in December. A single male taken by Mr. C. E. Clarke. Holotype (♂) in coll. Auckland Museum. Tinea conspecta n sp. ♂. 8 mm. Head and palpi ochreous grey mixed with fuscous. Antennae grey annulated with black. Thorax ochreous grey mixed with fuscous. Abdomen greyish fuscous. Legs ochreous, tarsi annulated with fuscous. Forewings with costa almost straight, apex pointed, termen oblique; metallic purplish, densely irrorated with fuscous, brassy ochreous and white; a double white outwards-curved fascia at ⅓, more or less interrupted, but dilated and prominent below fold; a similar but more obscure fascia at ⅔; numerous interrupted white strigulae on apical ⅔ of wing; a white spot on costa just before apex and one beneath it on termen: fringes fuscous grey. Not very close to any other Tinea; the superficial appearance is singularly like an Eschatotypa. The Domain, Auckland. One taken in November and a second in January. Holotype (♂) and a male paratype in coll. Auckland Museum. Tinea belonota Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 20, 99. Gymnobathra zephyrana Clarke, Trans. N.Z. Inst., 56, 419. The above synonymic correction is necessary. Tinea belonota appears to be an extremely rare species. After Mr. Meyrick's capture of the type specimen in 1887, the species does not seem to have been met with by collectors till 1921, when Mr. Clarke took a single

specimen at Whangarei. There are now, however, two other examples in the Clarke collection, the first captured at Waikaraka, Whangarei, and the second at Okauia, Waikato. Hepialidae. Porina gourlayi n. sp. ♂. 34–48 mm. Head and thorax pale to bright ochreous. Antennae ochreous, closely serrate in male and minutely ciliate. Abdomen greyish ochreous. Legs ochreous. Forewings moderate, costa subsinuate, apex rounded, termen rounded, oblique; pale whitish ochreous to bright ochreous; many fuscous-ringed palecentered dots, the most prominent being a subtriangular one in disc and one, or two, others beyond it; there is usually a dot on costa near base and another obliquely below and beyond it; an obscure fuscous subterminal shade followed and sometimes preceded, by a chain of dots; a thick blackish fuscous streak from dorsum at base, reaching halfway to tornus, its upper margin irregularly dentate, the interstices being filled with whitish; a series of dark-centered lunules round termen: fringes concolourous with wing. Hindwings ochreous fuscous or pale greyish ochreous: fringes ochreous. Nearest to P. oreas Huds. and P. descendens Huds., but differing from both in the markedly dentate dorsal streak. The female is commonly paler than the male, but not in all instances. Flora Camp (3,000 ft.) Mount Arthur, in January. A good series of both sexes taken by Mr. E. S. Gourlay. Holotype (♂), allotype (♂) and paratypes in coll. Cawthron Institute; several paratypes in collection Auckland Museum.