Art. 15.—A Study of the Venation of the New Zealand Species of Micropterygidae. By Alfred Philpott, F.E.S., Assistant Entomologist, Cawthron Institute, Nelson. [Read before the Nelson Institute, 19th October, 1921; received by Editor, 26th October, 1921; issued separately, 12th February, 1923.] The Micropterygidae are represented in New Zealand by fourteen species. These are all quite small forms, the largest having a wing-expanse of about 12 mm. and the smallest barely reaching 6 mm. As the species are not of very active habits and frequent low herbage, it is probable that many more forms await discovery. The family being one of exceptional interest, and having a very important bearing on the origin of the Lepidoptera, collectors would do well to pay particular attention to the group. Our present knowledge points to the Hepaticae (liverworts) as being the food-plants of the larvae, and the imagines should be looked for near these plants; sweeping the low herbage in the vicinity is the most likely method of making captures. At present the New Zealand Micropterygidae are placed in two genera—Sabatinca Walker, 1863, type incongruella Walk.; and Micropardalis Meyrick, 1912, type doroxena Meyr.* I do not include the genus Mnesarchaea Meyr., as I think that Tillyard (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., vol. 44, p. 118, 1910) has shown sufficient reason to justify its removal from the family. The former genus contains thirteen of the species, the latter being monotypic. On the venation alone, however, Micropardalis can hardly be sustained, Meyrick, who had but a single specimen, having fallen into error regarding the most important character, the condition of R1 in the hindwing. Possibly, when the other structural characters are taken into consideration, the genus may prove a valid one, in which case systematic value may be placed on the point of origin of R4–5 in the forewing, which in doroxena alone is sessile on the cell. Treating, then, for the purposes of this paper, the whole of the species as belonging to one genus, we find that this genus can be divided into three sections, the differentiating character being the condition of R1 in the hindwing. In all the species the upper half or third of this vein has been captured by Sc2. In two of the species, S. lucilia Clarke and S. calliarcha Meyr., the free basal portion of R1 is present unaltered (fig. 1); in two others, S. rosicoma Meyr. and S. zonodoxa Meyr., all trace of the free part of R1 has been lost (fig. 2); in the remaining ten forms the apical portion of the free part of R1 occurs as a stump or “recurrent” vein projecting from Sc2 (fig. 3). This recurrent piece varies in length in the different species, but never extends farther back than just basad of rf’. In S. chrysargyra Meyr. (fig. 4) the free end of the recurrent vein curves downwards and is connected with the radial sector by a weak cross-vein. This appears to be a secondary development confined to the one species, as a