Watt. — Ova of some of the Lepidoptera of New Zealand. 87 



^ Sculpture.— The surface of the shell is covered with very fine reticulations, 

 forming five-, six-, and seven-sided cells (extremely shallow). At each corner 

 of the cells the reticulations are surmounted by a small knob. These knobs 

 are not only confined to where the reticulations intersect, but are scattered 

 indiscriminately along the reticulations themselves, excepting immediately 

 around the micropyle ; they catch and reflect the light, and make the egg 

 appear to be spangled with minute silvery globules. 



Micropyle. — Consists of a five-armed-star shaped cell surrounded by nine 

 elongated shallow cells in the form of a rosette of 0-06 mm. diameter; is 

 of a darker green than rest of egg, and is slightly raised. 



Shell. — Very strong ; shiny ; transparent ; roughened within cells. 



Colour. — Light green with a bluish tinge, turning in a few days to dark 

 brown, to chocolate, and then to reddish-brown. In some eggs large areas 

 of the original bluish colour remain on the egg till a few days before hatching, 

 the rest of the egg being marbled in reddish-brown and chocolate. In some 

 cases the margins of these areas are well defined, the colours remaining 

 distinct, and not blending into each other. Just before hatching the larvae 

 can be seen within the eggs, their highly coloured markings giving the eggs 

 a very curious brilliantly striped appearance. Infertile eggs remain bluish, 

 and do not go through further colour-changes. 



Note.— -Laid in rows in small batches, and singly- All eggs have a slight 

 leaning out of the perpendicular, and as the larva emerges by means of a 

 hole eaten through the micropylar end its weight forces the shell over on 

 to its side ; all empty shells are found thus, and the eggs might be mistaken 

 for the flat class. The eggs are slightly attached to object and to each other, 

 and when fresh laid have a very distended appearance. Batches of forty- 

 six and thirty eggs obtained in the months of September and January 

 respectively. Incubation takes about a month. 



'(Described, 12th September, 1912.) 



Declana atronivea Walk. 



Detunda atronivea Walk., Suppl. 2, 619. Chlenias (?) manxifera 

 Fereday, Trans. N.Z. Inst., 12, 268, pi. ix, fig. 1. Detunda 

 atrovinea Meyi., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 16, p. 101. Declana atronivea 

 Hudson, N.Z. Moths and Butterflies, p. 95, pi. 10, figs. 33, 34 ; 

 Fereday, List N.Z. Lep., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 30, p. 346, as Detunda 

 atronivea. 

 This beautiful moth is rare in the Wanganui district, but is very common 



about Mount Egmont and Ruapehu, and in the high bush country of 



the upper Wanganui River. It is mostly found at an elevation of about 



2,000 ft. 



„, _ Ovum. Plate I, fig. 11. 



Class.— Flat. 



Shape. — Longitudinal section oval; micropylar end slightly flattened. 

 Transverse section oval; top and bottom flattened. 



Dimensions. — Length, 1-10 mm. ; width, 0-93 mm. ; height, 0-72 mm. 



Sculpture. — The shell i& covered with small white elevations about 

 0-01 mm. diameter and 0-015-0-02 mm. apart. These are joined by squat 

 roughened reticulations forming very shallow fairly regular hexagons. The 

 elevations mentioned above appear to be hollow, and to communicate with 

 the interior of the egg. 



Micropyle. — Consists of a small circular cell 0-005 mm. diameter, situated 

 in a rosette of about twelve elongated cells. This is surrounded bv a band 



