Watt.- — Leaf-mining Insects of New Zealand. 207 



thus for ten to fifteen minutes, after which they are dropped to their normal 

 position and the imago becomes active. The imagines emerge in the daytime. 



(10.) Nepticula perissopa Meyr. (The Rangiora Nepticulid). 



Nepticula perissopa Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 51, p. 354, 1919. 



The Imago. 



Mei/rick's Original Description. — "'(J?. 6-7 mm. Head and eye-caps 

 whitish-oehreous, centre of crown dark grey or blackish. Thorax dark 

 violet-fuscous. Abdomen giey. Forewings broad-lanceolate ; pale greyish- 

 ochreous, more or less suffused (especially in <J) with violet-grey, and 

 coarsely and irregularly strewn with dark-fuscous scales, especially towards 

 apex, where in o they form a suffused dark blotch occupying 1 of wing ; 

 an elongate dark-fuscous spot on fold at \ ; an elongate blackish spot in 

 disc bevond middle, in $ surrounded by a nearly clear space : cilia pale 

 greyish-ochreous, basal § coarsely irrorated with blackish round apex and 

 upper part of termen. Hind wings grey : cilia light ochreous-grey." 



General Description.- --Female. 6-8 mm. Head light yellowish-brown; 

 base of antennae whitish, antennae about \, dark grey. Thorax and abdomen 

 dark grey to black. Forewings broad, ground-colour whitish with a pale- 

 violet reflection in a bright light, irrorated with black scales ; at about § 

 the whitish scales predominate slightly so as to form a fairly broad and 

 sometimes quite distinct pale transverse bar across wing ; the black scales 

 predominate in the terminal \ of the wing, and near the apex surround a 

 distinct round spot, black in some lights, golden-brown in others ; a similar 

 but smaller spot in centre of wing a little beyond \, the light transverse bar 

 before mentioned separating the one from the other. In some specimens 

 there may be slight evidence of a second light transverse bar across wing 

 to the inner side of the central spot. A black cilial line ; cilia dark grey 

 with violet and reddish reflections. 



In the male the black scales greatly predominate, and there is little or 

 no evidence of light transverse bars. The central spot is sometimes missing. 



Distribution . 



Two specimens were caught by Mr. Hudson on Mount Egmont in 

 February. It was here also that I first found mines with darvae and 

 pupae — at Dawson's Falls, 23rd December, 1917, at an elevation of 2,500 ft. 

 I have also found it since in the Botanical Gardens in Wellington, where 

 it is fairly common. I noted the following dates: 19th June, 1919, larvae 

 and cocoons found ; 20th September, 1919, larvae, cocoons, and one imago ; 

 first week of October, 1919 and 1920, larvae, pupae, and imagines found. 

 There are probably three broods. Old mines have been found both at 

 Aberfeldy and at Long Acre, in the Wanganui district. 



Food-plant. 

 Brachyglottis n panda (rangiora). 



The Ovum. 



I have not yet seen the egg in the fresh state ; the following 

 description is taken from a number of empty shells persisting at the 

 commencement of the mines : — 



Class: Flat (?). Shape: Wafer-like oval, slightly broader at the 

 anterior end, domed above. Dimensions : Length, 0-51 mm. ; transverse 



