Quail. — On Neiv Zealand Lepidoptera. 163 



vii. The basal tubercles on the base of the abdominal feet 

 and in a corresponding position on the footless segments — 

 Hepialidce (Porina) — have three basal setae (four in adult), but 

 most groups have only two in the early stage (figs. 6, 9, 

 16, 18). The tendency throughout the Lepidoptera seems 

 to have been towards a reduction in the number of primitive 

 tubercles. That the ancient stock probably had a greater 

 number of tubercles is suggested by the supraspiracular of 

 Hepialidce and Tinea and the basal setae of Hepialidce. Such 

 modifications as take place after the moult are specialisations 

 of recent acquirement, and when, as in Metracias, such is 

 present in the newly hatched stage it is tolerably certain we 

 have a comparatively recently evolved species. viii. is a 

 tubercle on the ventral surface inner to the abdominal feet 

 and on the footless segments, always present in all groups so 

 far as my observations go. 



A good deal might be said of the tubercles on the 9th and 

 10th abdominal segments, but I have been unable to make 

 determinations of their value, which appears to be of rather 

 a specialised character. There is also a great diversity in the 

 structure of the tubercle setae (figs. 8, 11, 18) ; probably the 

 smooth hair-like seta is the more primitive form. 



The number of abdominal feet is also various ; in most 

 groups there is a pair each on segments 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10. 

 The anterior pair (segment 3) in Bhapsa and others are 

 greatly reduced in size — are, in fact, little more than enlarged 

 tubercles in the newly hatched stage. Other Noctuce, as 

 Melanchra insignis, have two pairs of feet reduced in size (of 

 3-4 segments), and not functionally operative in the newly 

 hatched stage. Speaking from memory, some Geometrce are 

 similar to Melanchra (Ritmia, of Europe, for instance). Typi- 

 cal Geometrce (fig. 6) have abdominal feet between 6th and 7th 

 and on 10th segments — two pairs only. 



The number of rows of terminal hooks which more or less 

 completely encircle the abdominal feet is various in different 

 groups and genera of the same group — for instance, Porina 

 and Charagia (Hepialidce). 



Pupae in all groups of Lepidoptera differ greatly in structure 

 from larvae, and, though functionally quiescent as regards con- 

 sumption of food and comparatively so in movement, it is in 

 the pupal stage that the iinaginal organs are largely developed 

 and larval structures obliterated. 



The pupa consists of the same number of segments as the 

 larva, of which 8, 9, 10 abdominal are often consolidated and 

 with difficulty identified. Movement, being practically con- 

 fined to the segments between the posterior edges of the wing- 

 cases and the consolidated anal segments, is often curtailed in 

 the higher groups. 



