Metrick. — Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera. 417 



rough scales, more strongly towards base, basal joint short, stout, thickened 

 with dense scales projecting on anterior edge. Labial palpi extremely 

 small, rudimentary. Maxillary palpi absent. Posterior tibiae with ap- 

 pressed scales. Forewings with 16 furcate, 2 from towards angle, 3 from 

 angle, 4 and 5 approximated at base, 7 to termen, 8 and 9 approximated 

 at base, 11 from middle. Hindwings somewhat und^ 1, elongate-ovate, 

 cilia § ; 3 and 4 somewhat approximated towards base, 5 tolerably parallel, 

 6 and 7 somewhat approximated towards base, transverse vein rather 

 strongly oblique. 



A very remarkable genus. On the neural and antennal characters I 

 can only regard it as belonging to this family, but it differs widely from 

 all the other New Zealand genera in the minute labial palpi, which are 

 only perceived with difficulty. It has, however, many points of resem- 

 blance to the Australian genus Cehysa, in which the labial palpi are very 

 short, and there seems to be a true relationship. Mr. Philpott sent me at 

 first a good ? ; on perceiving its singular interest, being doubtful whether 

 the palpi and tongue might not have been broken off, I wrote at once asking 

 him to examine his own specimens on this point, and he very kindly 

 forwarded to me his only ^ specimen (unfortunately damaged), and also 

 informed me that he possessed two other ?, in which the structure of the 

 mouth parts was quite as in the one originally sent. I have had pleasure 

 in naming this curious genus after the captor. Assuming the relationship 

 to Cehysa, that genus is itself no less singular and isolated, so that the 

 general affinity still remains to be elucidated by the discovery of allied 

 forms. 



Philpottia iridoxa n. sp, 



(J ?. 14-15 mm. Head and thorax purple-coppery-metallic. Antennae 

 deep purple. Abdomen dark fuscous. Forewings elongate, posteriorly 

 slightly dilated, more so in cJ, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen 

 obliquely rounded ; coppery-purple, with strong peacock-blue gloss ; mark- 

 ings ochreous-whitish ; slender transverse fasciae at J and middle, triangu- 

 larly dilated on dorsum, more strongly in ^, first not reaching costa ; a 

 triangular or wedge-shaped spot on costa at §, one more elongate on costa 

 towards apex, and a narrow posteriorly oblique mark from just before 

 tornus : cilia bronzy-grey, basal third coppery-blue-purple. Hindwings in 

 (J dark grey, in $ grey : cilia grey. 



" The specimens were all taken on the same date, 29th December, 

 1914, on Mount Burns, Hunter Mountains, at an elevation of about 3,250 ft. 

 The locality was a sheltered slope with a dense carpet of native grasses. 

 A grove of birch (Nothofagus) was near at hand, and one of the moths was 

 beaten from one of the trees ; the others were disturbed from the herbage. 

 With regard to your suggestion that the larva might be a lichen-feeder, 

 it may be noticed that these mountain birches are generally covered with 

 lichens of various species, the forest on the Hunter Mountains being par- 

 ticularly noticeable in that respect. The day was sunny and calm." 

 (Philpott.) 



The larva of Cehysa feeds in a portable case of silk and refuse on 

 lichens on rock-faces. 



Simaethis zomeuta Meyr. 



A pair from Arthur's Pass, 3,000 ft. (Hudson), must be referred to this, 

 but I now doubt whether zomeuta is anything more than a large mountain 

 form of combinatana. The cj sent (in fine condition) is larger than any 



14^Trans. 



