212 



Transactions. 



high power the body-surface is seen to be roughened with light transverse 

 rugae. Segment 10 bears a pair of short brown upturned spines. It 

 should be noted that the figure was taken from a dried specimen, and so 

 does not show the rounded fullness of the fresh pupa. Movement can 

 take place between all the abdominal segments with the exception of the 

 soldered caudal ones. 



Dehiscence. 



The pupa is extruded as far as its caudal segments through the slit. 

 Dorsal splitting takes place along the central vertical line of the meso- 

 thorax, prothorax, and vertex ; transversely along the epicranial suture. 

 The antennae become detached and are retained only by a small slip of 

 the vertex dorsally ; in this manner the headpiece is freed both dorsally 

 and laterally, but is held ventrally by the mouth-appendages. 



(11.) Nepticula tricentra Mey. (The Groundsel Nepticulid). 



Nepticula tricentra Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 21, p. 187, 1889 ; 

 vol. 47, p. 231, 1915. 



The Imago. 



Meyrick's Original Description.- — " $. 6 mm. Head and palpi grey- 

 whitish. Antennae, thorax, and abdomen grey. Legs dark grey, apex of 

 joints whitish. Forewings lanceolate ; pale grey, irrorated with darker ; 

 two or three small round black dots in an irregular longitudinal series 

 towards middle of disc : cilia light grey. Hindwings and cilia light grey." 



General Notes. — The amount of dark irroration varies greatly, in some 

 specimens being very light and the three black spots very conspicuous, in 

 others it is very dense and in -places leaves irregular paler areas on wing, 

 these tending to form a pale transverse bar across wing at f and in the 

 region of ^. The male is a most minute moth, 4-5 mm., but otherwise 

 differs in no marked particulars from the female. It might be more 

 correct to say that the ground-colour of the wing was fight yellowish-brown, 

 and irrorated with dark grey to black scales more or less condensed into 

 three rather diffuse transverse bars across wing, one in the region of the 

 base, one somewhat constricted in the middle at \, and the third occupying 

 the terminal \ of the wing ; in the middle of each of these bars the scales 

 are condensed to form a small spot. In perfect specimens there is a black 

 cilial fine. In some specimens the dark irroration is regularly distributed 

 throughout the wing, and in such cases there is no evidence of transverse 

 marking. 



