Watt. — Leaf-mining Insects of Netv Zealand.' 449 



(3.) Parectopa panacitorsens n. sp. (The Panax Underside Moth). 



(Plate XXX, fig. 3.) 



The Imago. 



9 mm. Head and thorax white ; antennae grey-whitish ; palpi white 

 with indistinct ring of black at apex of second joint, and a distinct sub- 

 apical ring of black on terminal joint ; abdomen grey-whitish ; legs white, 

 ringed with black, posterior tibiae white. Forewings light fuscous, mark- 

 ings white, interrupted with ochreous ; a narrow dark-ochreous streak 

 along costa at base to ^, a small mdistinct white area at \, a slightly 

 larger and more distinct one at -|, a square white patch at \, a narrow 

 outwardly-oblique white streak at f reaching nearly two-thirds across wing, 

 a small transverse white bar near apex, a broad white streak along dorsum 

 from base to |, interrupted at \ and \ by an outwardly-oblique wedge- 

 shaped spot of ochreous, that at \ being very dark ; cilia dark grey with 

 two black lines. Hindwings and cilia dark grey. 



There is also a North Island variety, which attacks Nothojxinax 

 Sinclairii. (Plate XXX, fig. 7.) 



8 mm. Head light grey-whitish ; palpi white with two black rings ; 

 antennae grey-whitish. Thorax grey-white with narrow central streak of 

 fuscous dividing caudally into a small V-marking. Abdomen dark grey ; 

 legs white with black rings. Forewings golden brown irro rated with black ; 

 markings white, tending to be indistinct ; cilia hght brown with a distinct 

 black line, blackish externally. Hindwings dark grey ; cilia dark grey on 

 costa, lighter bronze-gre)^ on dorsum. 



Distribution. 



Several mines were found at Aberfeldy, in the Wanganui district, in 

 I\Iay of 1918, but all were old. Several mines with pupae were obtained 

 in the Bush Keserve, Flagstaff, Dunedin, early in November, 1919, and 

 these emerged during the first week of December. 



The North Island variety is a fairly common little moth in season on 

 Mount Egmont at 3,000 ft. Numbers of mines were found in the vicinity of 

 the North Egmont House and Dawson's Falls, and beside the track on the 

 way up the mountain. Pupa were obtained fairly plentifully in December 

 and early January, and these emerged during January and February. First 

 found in December, 1916. No- larvae or fresh mines were found during a 

 short trip taken to the mountain in April of 1917. 



F'ood-plant. 



Nothopanax arhoreum (whauwhaupaku). 



The North Island variety was found only in very young plants of 

 NotJiopanax Sinclairii, generally within a foot or so of the ground. 



The Mine. 



The egg is laid on the under-surface of the leaf, but otherAvise in no 

 more favoured position. The mine is entirely on the' under-surface of the 

 leaf ; no signs whatever of it on the upper surface. Throughout its whole 

 course it is a simple gallery, and very tortuous in its direction. Commenc- 

 ing with a width of a little under 1 mm., it has a width of 3--4 mm. in its 

 later parts. The chief direction is in the long axis of the leaf, and the outer 

 portions of the leaf are more mined than the centre — in fact, nearly three- 

 quarters of the entire margin of the leaf forms the external margin of the 



15 — Trans. 



