32 Tramactions. — Zoology. 



by an obscure darker margin ; median shade thicli, faintly trace- 

 able ; second line cloudy, very obscure, grey-whitish, anteriorly 

 obscurely dark-margined ; spots and subterminal line absent ; 

 a conspicuous waved whitish hind-marginal line : cilia grey, 

 suffusedly mixed with whitish. Hindwings fuscous-grey, lighter 

 towards base ; cilia whitish, base suffused with pale fuscous. 



Wellington, Christchurch, and Lake Guyon, in February 

 and March ; six specimens. 



10. Agrotis, Tr. 



Eyes naked. Antennre in male moderately bipectinated* 

 towards apex filiform, simple. Thorax and abdomen without 

 defined crests. 



A large cosmopolitan genus, but little represented in New 

 Zealand. The larvfe are frequently subterranean, feeding on 

 roots. 



A. Claviform produced to base . . . . 53. admirationis, 



,, not ,, ,, . . . . . . B. 



B. Costa of forewings somewhat concave . . 56. ceropaclwides. 



„ „ not concave . . . . C. 



C. Forewings brown . . . . . . . . 52. ypsilon. 



grey .. .. .. . . D. 



D. Cilia of hindwings in male wholly white . . 55. inconspicua. 



,, ,, ,, with a grey line . . 54. sericea. 



52. Ar/r. ypsilon, Eott. 

 (Noctua ypsilon, Kott. ; Agrotis sitffusa, Hb.) 



Male, female. — 40-42 mm. Head reddish-fuscous. Palpi 

 and antennae dark fuscous. Thorax greyish fuscous, somewhat 

 mixed with reddish, with a strong black angulatcd anterior 

 line. Abdomen light-grey. Legs blackish, mixed with whitish, 

 anterior pair ochrcous-whitish. Forewings moderately dilated, 

 costa almost straight, apex obtuse, hindmargin slightly waved, 

 obliquely rounded ; fuscous, reddish-tinged ; basal area and a 

 band beyond second line suffused with whitish-ochreous except 

 towards costa, median space blackish-tinged towards costa ; 

 lines davk-margined, distinct, second straight on lower half; 

 Bpots outlined with black ; orbicular round, dark-centred ; 

 claviform elongate ; reniform followed by a short black longi- 

 tudinal mark ; a cloudy median shade ; subterminal whitish- 

 ochreous, with two strong dentations nearly reaching hind- 

 margin below middle, anteriorly fuscous-margined and with 

 two short dark fuscous dashes above middle, hind-margiual 

 space suffused with dark fuscous: cilia pale ochreous mixed 

 with dark-grey. Hindwings grey-whitish, becoming grey pos- 

 teriorly, veins and a hind-marginal line dark-grey ; cilia white, 

 with a grey line. 



Larva feeding on roots of grass. 



