BY E. MEYRICK, B.A. 153 



midway between third and fourth, inner-marginal spot to midway 

 between fourth and apical spot ; apical spot pure crimson, contain- 

 ing a circular black spot above centre, above which the colour 

 becomes brownish-ochreous and is margined on costa with black ; 

 lower half of apical spot filled up with a sharp wedge-shaped 

 snow-white spot, the base of which is yellow and separated from 

 the rest by a crimson line : cilia yellow round apex, containing a 

 blackish hook, crimson below apical spot, thence pale crimson- 

 grey. Hind- wings dull pale purple-crimson, costal cilia grey, 

 rest suffused with pale crimson. 



Var. a. — aU the crimson markings replaced by dull fuscous. 



This exceedingly beautiful insect cannot be compared with any 

 other, but is probably most allied to for mosa and ida, The loosely 

 haired second joint of the palpi render it peculiar in the genus, 

 but the hairs do not form a tuft, and it cannot therefore be referred 

 to Coriscium, to which it is not otherwise specially related* 

 probably Stainton is correct in stating his opinion that a konwledge 

 of the exotic species of Gracilaria will tend to widen the definition 

 of the generic structure in respect of the scaling of the labial 

 palpi, in which allied species deviate. I took seven very perfect 

 specimens (six typical, one of the variety) amidst dense growth 

 in the swampy virgin forest near Hamilton, on the Waikato, New 

 Zealand, in January, mostly under tree-ferns. New Zealand 

 insects are usually rather sombre ; and I shall not easily forget 

 the emotion with which, in the depths of the forest shades, I saw 

 this lovely insect, whose ethereally pure hues cause it to be one 

 of the most wonderful manifestations of the beauty of nature. 



Q-rac. formosa, Stt., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., Vol. I., 3rd Ser. 

 ^ ? . 4^"-5". Head pale yellow, with a central stripe on crown 

 and the sides crimson ; face white with a few crimson scales. 

 Maxillary palpi white, faintly crimson-tinged. Labial palpi white 

 second joint externally faintly suffused with crimson and with 

 slender dark fuscous apical and subapical rings, terminal joint 



