Meyrick. — Revision of the Xew Zealand Caradrinina. 99 



45. P. composite Guen., Noct., 2, 114 ; Huds., N.Z. Moths, 22, pi. 5, 8, 9 : 



cwingii Westw., Proc. Ent. Soc, 2, 55, pi. 20, 1 : aversa Walk., 

 Cat., 9, 113 : maori Feld., Reis. Nov., pi. 109, 24 : peracuta Morr.,. 

 Bull. BufE. Soc. Nat. Sci., 2, 114 : dentigera Butl., Cist, Ent., 2, 542. 

 North and South Islands ; common also in Australia. Larva on 

 grasses. I see no reason to revive Westwood's forgotten name 

 in face of the established use, still less under Hampson's unrecog- 

 nizable amended form evingi. 



46. P. arotis Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 19, 11 ; Huds., N.Z. Moths, 12, 



pi. 4, 18 : aulacias Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 19, 11. 

 Wellington, South Island. 



47. P. atristriga Walk., Cat,, 33, 756 ; Huds., N.Z. Moths, 10, pi. 4, 12 : 



antipoda Feld., Reis. Nov., pi. 109, 23. 

 North and South Islands. 



48. P. propria Walk., Cat., 9, 111 ; Huds. N.Z. Moths, 11, pi. 4, 13. 



Blenheim, Mount Arthur (3,800 ft.), Mount Hutt, 



17. Erana Walk. 

 Erana Walk., Cat, 11, 605 (1857) ; type, graminosa Walk. 



Face without prominence. Antennae in $ with scattered cilia. Thorax 

 clothed with scales, with anterior and posterior spreading crests. Abdomen 

 with strong dorsal crests towards base. Forewings with 10 not connected 

 with 9 to form areole, in S beneath with very long tuft of scent-producing 

 hairs from basal area. Hind wings in <$ with costal area broadly expanded. 



An endemic development of Melanchra. 



49. E. graminosa Walk., Cat., 11, 605 : Huds., N.Z. Moths, 28, pi. 5, 24, 



25 : vigens Walk., 33, 743. 



North and South Islands. Larva on Melieytus ramiflorus. 



18. Melanchra Hiibn. 



Melanchra Hiibn., Verz., 207 (1823) ; type, persicariae Linn. Mete- 

 rana Butl., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond.. 1877. 385 ; type, pictula 

 White- 

 Face without prominence. Antennae in 3 ciliated, or bipectinated 

 with apex simple. Thorax clothed with hair and scales, with anterior and 

 posterior crests. Abdomen with dorsal crests towards base. 



A very large genus, of universal distribution, but chiefly in temperate 

 regions. Hampson calls this genus Polia (whereas this name has been 

 universally employed in a quite different sense, and is barred), but separates 

 all the New Zealand species except pictula and rhodopleura, together with 

 six from North America, as a widely remote genus Morrisonia, on the 

 alleged character that these latter have " the tegulae dorsally produced 

 into a ridge." I am quite unable to separate the two groups on this or 

 any other character, and think the division unnatural, the species of both 

 being very similar in all respects. The use of the name Mamestra for this 

 genus is not practicable ; it is founded on Guenee's use, but under a mis- 

 apprehension of it, as Guenee himself specified the type as furva Hiibn., 

 which does not belong to this subfamily at all. There are a number of 

 generic synonyms, which I do not quote. 

 4* 



