IT.— THE NOTODONTINA. 91 



orange-red, speckled with darker; there is a doubly curved transverse line near the base, and an 

 almost straight transverse line near the termen, both dark red; beyond the outer transverse line 

 the wing is shaded with dark brown. The hind-wings are pale reddish-orange, with a curved 

 blackish transverse line. In both sexes the apex of the fore-wing is projecting, and there is a 

 strong angular projection on the termen a little before the middle: the termen of the hind-wing 

 has several small projections. 



The variation of this insect is considerable, especially in the male. The ground 

 colour of the fort 1 - wines often inclines to dull brown, or even dull yellowish-brown; 

 the light and dark mottling, and the greyish markings near the termen are sometimes 

 hardly visible ; there is often a yellowish blotch opposite the large angle in the 

 termen of the fore-wing. The hind-wings also are very variable in their colouring. 

 All these varieties exist in the female in a less pronounced degree. 



The perfect insect appears during the first week in February, and is generally 

 over by the middle or end of March. The males are first noticed, the females not 

 appearing until about a fortnight later. I have never taken this insect in the day- 

 time, and in fact have never seen it except on the blossoms of the white rata, where, 

 on fine evenings, it is often very abundant. As yet, however, Wellington is the only 

 locality where 1 have met with it. 



Genus 6.— DEEPANODES, Gn. 



"Face with cone of scales. Palpi moderate, triangularly scaled, porrected. Antenna' in 

 male moderate, simple. Fore-wines with vein 6 from below 9, 7 from below angle of areole, ID 

 very shortly touching 9, 11 rising out of 1<> before angle of areole, 12 free. Hind-wings normal. 

 (Plate EI., figs. <)1 ami 62 neuration of Drepanodes muriferata.) 



A characteristic South American genus. The single New Zealand species is very 

 similar to some South American forms."-- (Me\ rick.) 



DEEPANODES MUEIFERATA, Walk. 

 [Gargaphia muriferata, Walk. 1635. Panagra ephyraria, Walk. L761. ? Zanclognatha (?) cookaria, 

 Feld. exxiii. 26. Zanclognatha (?) haastiaria, Feld. exxiii. 32. Drepanodes muriferata, Meyr., Trans. 

 N. Z. Inst. xvi. 107.) 



(Plate X., figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 j varieties, 12 ? .) 



This species is very abundant in the neighbourhood of Wellington. It has also 

 been taken at Taranaki, Christchurch, Dunedin, Envercargill and Stewart Island, and 

 is probably common and generally distributed throughout the country. 



The expansion of the wings is about H inches. All the wings of the male are yellowish- 

 brown; there is a faint transverse line near the base, and a conspicuous darker transverse line 

 running from a little before the apex of the fore-wing to the middle of the dorsum of the hind- 

 wing; there is also a dark spot in the centre of the fore-wing, often containing two white dots. 

 In the female, all the wings are slate-coloured; the transverse' lines are very faintly indicated, 

 and the central dot of the fore-wing is reddish-brown. The apex of the fore-wing in each sex is 

 conspicuously hooked, and the termen is bowed and sometimes has a very slight angle in the 

 middle. 



Both sexes of this insect are very variable. In the male, the ground colour ranges 

 from dingy-brown to bright orange-brown; the transverse lines differ much in 

 intensity, and in some specimens the central area of the wings enclosed by them is 

 much darker than either the basal or the marginal portions; occasionally there is a 

 series of black markings between the outer transverse line and the termen of the 

 fore-wings, whilst the transverse line itself is frequently edged with a band of paler 



