Watt. — Ova of some of the Lepidoptera of New Zealand. 79 



Sculpture. — Coarse. Reticulations forming fairly regular hexagonal cells 

 about 0-04 mm. diameter arranged in irregular rows from end to end of egg. 



Mieropyle. — Situated within a large cell. Slightly raised. Total dia- 

 meter, 0-05 mm. Very indistinct. 



Shell. — Strong ; transparent ; shiny ; roughened within cells. 



Colour. — Yellow. Small orange areas appear on the shell in five or six 

 days, and gradually turn to bright reddish-orange. A small black spot 

 appears at micropylar end a day or so previous to the hatching of the egg. 

 The larva can be seen within the egg just before hatching. 



Note. — Laid singly. Hardly, if at all, attached to object. The egg 

 soon gets a very dented appearance after being laid, and the top surface 

 collapses, forming a deep oval depression in the egg. Laid in September. 

 Seventeen eggs obtained. Period of incubation, about sixteen days. The 

 larva emerges at micropylar end. 



(Described, 20th September, 1912.) 



Asaphodes megaspilata Walk. 



Larentia megaspilata Walk., Cat. Lep. Brit. Mus., 24, p. 1198 ; ButL, 

 Cat. Lep. N.Z., p. 14 ; ib., Cist. Ent., 2, p. 502. Harpalyce 

 megaspilata Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 16, p. 63. Probolaea megas- 

 pilata Walk. : "Fereday, List N.Z. Lep., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 30, 

 p. 338. Asaphodes megaspilata Walk., Hudson's N.Z. Moths and 

 Butterflies, p. 55, pi. 7, figs. 17, 18, 19, 19a, 20 : Quail, Trans. 

 N.Z. Inst., 34, p. 235. 



This little species is frequently met with in Wanganui during the 

 summer, and is easily obtained during the daytime by beating thick bushes 

 and creepers. 



Ovum. Plate II, fig. 3. 



Class.— Flat. 



Shape. — Viewed from above, oval; micropylar end slightly flattened and 

 a little broader than its nadir. Transverse section : Micropylar end higher 

 than its nadir, which is well rounded ; top and bottom flattened. 



Dimensions. — Length, 0-58-0-61 mm. ; width, 0-44-0-47 mm. ; height, 

 0-37-0-42 mm. 



Sculpture. — Strong. Shell covered with a network of fairly regular 

 shallow hexagonal cells, deepest in the centre. Cells about 0-04 mm. 

 diameter. The reticulations are surmounted by numbers of very minute 

 elevation^ or pimples. These elevations are most numerous at the micro- 

 pylar end, and do not confine themselves to the reticulations, but are to be 

 found on the floor of the cells also. 



Mieropyle. — Consists of a rosette of six small cells surrounded by a band 

 of irregular cells somewhat lengthened in a direction radial from the miero- 

 pyle. Rosette slightly elevated, 0-06 mm. diameter, and slightly darker in 

 colour than rest of egg. The cells immediately surrounding the mieropyle 

 are smaller than on other parts of the egg. 



Shell. — Strong ; transparent ; glossy ; slightly roughened within cells. 



Colour. — When fresh laid, white, sometimes with a very faint green 

 tinge. In about four days the base of the egg changes to reddish-brown 

 and later to a terra-cotta, shading off towards the micropylar end, which 

 turns a light yellow. Four days before hatching a small black area appears 



