Mkyrick. — ])escn /it/O/iK of New Zealand Lepidoptera. 117 



Art. IX. — Descriptions oj New Zealand Lepidoptera. 



By E. Meyriok. B.A., F.R.S. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 4th October, 1911.] 



I am again enabled by the kindness of Messrs. G. V. Hudson and 

 A. Philpott to present descriptions of a further series of new species 

 of Lepidoptera, representing the results of their labours during the past 

 season. These include some forms of remarkable interest. 



Caradrinidae. 



Melanchra xanthogramma n. sp. 



<$. 37 mm. Head and thorax reddish-brown mixed with whitish- 

 ochreous, sides of patagia and ridge of collar streaked with black and 

 whitish irro ration. Antennae bipectinated (a 2, b 1J), apical third 

 simple, ciliated. Abdomen fuscous, sides and apex tufted with reddish- 

 brown scales mixed with whitish - ochreous. Forewings elongate - tri- 

 angular, costa slightly arched, apex obtuse, termen rather obliquely 

 rounded, crenulate ; light reddish-brown ; subbasal. first, and second 

 lines waved, indicated by interrupted edgings of black irroration, lower 

 end of subbasal connected with base by a bent dark red-brown and 

 blackish mark surmounted with yellow, second obsolete from near costa 

 to below reniform ; an elongate-oval suffused yellow spot beneath sub- 

 median fold between subbasal and first lines, and a streak of yellow 

 suffusion along dorsum from J to f ; spots darker reddish-brown, 

 edged with yellow and then with blackish, orbicular short-oval, rather 

 oblique, somewhat paler - centred, claviform rather smaller, roundish, 

 anteriorly defined by first line, reniform with posterior half pale and 

 whitish-mixed ; space between these darker, with some yellow and 

 blackish scales ; a dark-fuscous elongate patch extending from second 

 to subterminal lines above submedian fold ; some whitish suffusion 

 towards dorsum beneath this ; three whitish dots on costa between 

 second and subterminal lines ; subterminal line slender, yellow, straight 

 and edged with blackish posteriorly, towards extremities dentate and 

 unmargined, at ^ with a dilatation, below middle with a very abrupt 

 acute double dentation reaching termen ; a terminal series of lunulate 

 blackish marks : cilia reddish-brown mixed with paler and whitish. 

 Hindwings fuscous ; cilia whitish, basal half fuscous. 



Wellington (Hudson) ; one specimen. At first sight much like a 

 variety of insignis, but (as Mr. Hudson correctly points out) the 

 antennal pectinations in that species are somewhat longer. An easy 

 distinction is afforded by the absence of the well-defined short black 

 basal streak of insignis. 



Selidosemidae. 

 Selidosema lactiflua n. sp. 



$. 36 mm. Head and thorax olive-greenish mixed with yellow- 

 whitish. Antennal pectinations, a 6, b 5 ; about 8 apical joints simple. 

 Abdomen whitish-yellowish. Forewings triangular, costa slightly arched T 



