Philpott. — Catalogue of Southland Lepidoptera. 169 



Jj. sulcana. 



This fine moth may be taken at " sugar " early in February, 

 and is common during March and early April. West Plains, 

 Waihopai. 



L. semivittata. 



Very common dui'ing November at flowers of white rata, 

 and fairly common during February on ragweed. May also 

 be taken in fair numbers at " sugar." 



Ichneutica ceraunias. 



Through the kindness of my friend Mr. George Howes, I 

 have several examples of this fine moth in my collection. 

 They were taken at Waipori. 



Melanchra disjungens. 



Mr. Howes has also furnished me with examples of this 

 species, taken at Waipori. 



JU. jwracausta. 



My first example of this moth was obtained from a pupa 

 found enclosed in a slight cocoon under a piece of bark on a 

 fallen tree. On the 28th June, 1896, I took a caterpillar, 

 which produced a female yaracausta on the 22nd September. 

 I give a brief description of this caterpillar : Length, 13 lines ; 

 dull-whitish ; dorsal line of indistinct darker colour ; subdorsal 

 very faint ; lateral stripe more pronounced ; many minute 

 specks of colour; head pale-brownish, with darker markings; 

 dorsal surface of first thoracic segment darker. I took three 

 or four larvaB about the same time which very much re- 

 sembled this one, but they all produced M. infensa. In 

 Hudson's " New Zealand Moths and Butterflies " an unfor- 

 tunate error has crept iu. In a note to the description of 

 M. paracausta it is stated on my authority that the larva of 

 M. paracausta greatly resembles that of M. vitiosa. This 

 was a mistake of mine; vitiosa should have been infensa. I 

 did not again meet with the moth till the 8th November, 

 1899, about which time I took five or six fine specimens at 

 ■" sugar." 



31. insignis. 



This moth appears early in September, and in October 

 occurs in great profusion, but appears to be over by the end of 

 November. About the middle of February a second brood 

 begins to emerge, and may be taken right on to the end of 

 May. The moth visits the flowers of the ragweed, and comes 

 readily to " sugar " and light. I have several examples in 

 which the green shading is replaced more or less by yellow ; 

 but, apart from the difference in depth of colouring, there are 

 no importaut variations. West Plains. 



