84 Transactions. 



Colour. — When fresh laid, light yellow. Infertile eggs turn yellow, and 

 collapse. 



Note. — Laid singly. Ten obtained in January. Well attached to object. 

 (Described, 7th January, 1913.) 



Selidosema suavis Butl. 



Pseudocoremia suavis Butl., Cist. Ent., 2, p. 497. Pseudocoemia 

 lupinata Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 16, p. 98. Boarmia suavis 

 Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 23, p. 101. See Meyr., Trans. N.Z. 

 Inst., 24, p. 216, as to Selidosema. Hudson's N.Z. Moths and 

 Butterflies, p. 83, pi. 9, figs. 3, 4 ; Feredav's List N.Z. Lep., 

 Trans. N.Z. Inst., 30, p. 345. 



Very common at Wanganui throughout the early summer. 



_,, _. Ovum. Plate II, fig. 4. 



Class.— Flat. ° 



Shape. — Both longitudinally and transversely oval. The micropylar 

 end is slightly flattened, and is at a slight angle to the micropylar axis ; 

 it is broader than its nadir. Top and bottom much flattened. Ba;ie well 

 rounded. 



Dimensions. — Length, 0-75-0-77 mm. ; width, 0-54-0-58 mm. ; height, 

 0-47-0-49 mm. 



Sculpture. — Both ends of the egg are capped as far as the shoulder with 

 a network of deep fairly regular hexagonal and pentagonal cells. The 

 middle portion of the egg between these caps is ribbed longitudinally with 

 rather coarse parallel reticulations at slightly varying distances from one 

 another. The distance betweeen the shoulders of the egg, or the length 

 of the ribs, is 0-47 mm. This portion of the egg is also ribbed transversely 

 by somewhat finer reticulations, which, with the main ribs, form parallel 

 rows of quadrilateral cells, deep, and twice as long as broad, the longer 

 side being at right angles to the micropylar axis. Viewed under a high 

 power the longitudinal ribs are found to be wavy and not perfectly straight, 

 thus making the cells modified hexagons. The length of these cells is about 

 0-05 mm., and the width about 0-02 mm. Each angular point of the cells 

 is surmounted by a small white globular knob ; these are very minute, 

 and are most plain at the ends of the egg. Just before the hatching of the 

 egg the reticulations become white and very plain. 



Micropyle. — Situated in a rosette of six elongated cells, much roughened 

 and very indistinct ; diameter, 0-10 mm. The micropyle itself is free of 

 the white elevations before referred to. 



Colour. — When laid, dark green, which becomes darker in a few days, 

 and large brown areas appear. The brown inclines to red. In a week or 

 two the egg is covered with a red and brown mottling. Some days before 

 hatching two or more broad bands of purple appear, extending the whole 

 length of the egg. At this time the larva is plainly seen within the egg. 



Note. — The eggs are very large, for the size of the moth. Batches of 

 sixty-two and eighty-six eggs were obtained inserted in the cracks of the 

 box in irregular heaps. They were slightly attached to the box and to 

 each other. Infertile eggs remain green, and collapse. Ova obtained in 

 April and October, and take about three weeks to hatch. The larvae 

 emerge through the micropylar end, and are extremely active, but do not 

 make their first meal off the empty shell. 



(Described, 22nd April, 1912.) 



