Hudson. — Illustrated Life-histories of New Zealand Insects. 33 



records of its distribution are at present lacking. The larva lives and feeds 

 in the semi-liquid vegetable detritus which accumulates in large quantities 

 at the bases of the leaves of the well-known Astelia Solandri, a common 

 and very copspicuous epiphytic plant in most of our untouched native 

 forests. The length of the full-grown larva (see Plate I, fig. 8) is about 

 1| in. It is subcylindrical, considerably flattened, with the head very 

 minute, and eleven visible body-segments. Special oval warts armed with 

 minute teeth are situated on the upper surface of body-segments 5 to 10 

 inclusive, similar larger warts being present on the underside, and this no 

 doubt facilitates the insect's movements between the leaves. The colour 

 of the larva is very dark slaty-brown, darker towards the extremities ; the 

 posterior end is considerably tapered. 



Apparently only ope larva inhabits each space between two sheathing 

 leaves, and only those full of the thick brown cofiee-like liquid are so 

 inhabited. 



The pupa is enclosed in a rather tough, extremely elongate silken tube 

 situated between the sheathing leaves. It rests in an upright position 

 in the midst of the semi-liquid mass, breathing, no doubt, being effected 

 by means of the remarkable thoracic process. The length of the pupa is 

 about H in. It is very elongate, with the bead and thorax unusually small ; 

 there is a large double breathing-process on the top of the thorax, shaped 

 somewhat like a bivalve shell. Four of . the abdominal segments are 

 furnished on the dorsal surface with special finely-toothed warts like those 

 of the larva, the ventral surface with plain ridges. There is a horny 

 cremaster with two recurved hooks and several other smaller processes. 

 (See Plate I, fig. 9.) ' • 



The perfect crane-fly appears from November till March. It is probable 

 that the larva is feeding during the autumn and winter, and that pupation 

 usually takes place in the spring, although the pupa which was actually 

 reared was found in company with feeding larvae early in March. 



Limnophila sinistra. (Plate I, fig. 1. (J.) 



Tipula ohscuri'pennis Huds., Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 27, p. 294 ; 

 not Limnophila obscuripennis Skuse, 1890. Limnophila sinistra 

 Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 32, p. 40. 



■ This very distinct species of crane-fly is fairly common in most dense 

 forests throughout the country. 



The larva (Plate I, fig. 3) inhabits fallen tree-trunks in an advanced 

 state of decay, forming burrows between the soft decayed portion and the 

 harder part of the wood. It is about 1 in. in length, cylindrical, tapering 

 towards the head, which is very small and furnished with two minute jaws 

 and a pair of very short antennae. There are eleven visible body-segments. 

 The extremity of the last segment is truncate and deeply excavated, the 

 concavity being protected by five converging spines, which can be spread 

 out or drawn inwards at the will of the insect. The orifices of the air-tubes 

 are situated in this concavity, that of the alimentary canal being placed on 

 the underside of the final segment, quite remote from the breathing-apparatus. 

 Pedal warts occur on the undersides of all the segments, excepting the 

 three immediately following the head and the terminal segment. 



2 — Trans. 



