IT.— THE NOTODONTINA. 59 



I observed it in great abundance on the Humboldt Range at the bead of Lake 

 Wakatipu, where it frequented the damp rocky precipices which were fringed with a 

 luxuriant growth of Alpine plants. At Castle Hill it occurred much less commonly, 

 so that it would appear to be most plentiful in the extreme south of New Zealand. 

 The colouring is protective when the insect is resting on rock surfaces. 



XANTHOEHOE SEMIFISSATA, Walk. 



(Coremia semifissata, Walk. 1320. Coremia ypsilonaria, Gn., E. M. M. v. 64. Cidaria delicatulata, Gn., 



E. M. M. v. 94. Epyaxa semifissata, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 72.) 



(Plate VII., fig. 26 S , 27 ? .) 



This extremely pretty insect is very common, and generally distributed 

 throughout the country. 



The expansion of the wings is about an inch. The fore-wings of the male are pale pink; 

 there are several wavy brown lines near the base, a very distinct broivn central band, narrowest 

 near the middle, but much broader on the casta than on the dorsum : the centre of this band is 

 paler towards the costa ; the termen is shaded with brown, except near the apex of the wing; 

 the reins are dotted in black. The hind-wings are bright ochreous with numerous wavy darker 

 lines. The female is darker in colour than the male, the central band is broader; there are 

 numerous brown and pink wavy lines on each side of the central baud, and the principal reins 

 are marked in pale ochreous. The grey transverse lines on the hind-wings are much more 

 distinct in the female than in the male. 



The perfect insect appears from September till April, and is very common in 

 rather open forest districts, usually frequenting undergrowth on the edges of the 

 denser forest. It is often one of the earliest of the Notodontina to appear in spring, 

 and its advent is then especially welcome to the collector after the long inaction of 

 winter. It is evidently closely allied to X. orophyla, which appears to be the 

 southern and Alpine representative of this interesting insect. Coremia ypsilonaria, 

 Gn., is the male, and Cidaria delicatulata, Gn., is the female of this species. 



XANTHOEHOE LOPHOGEAMMA, Meyr. 

 [Xanthorhoe lophogramma , Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Loiul. 1897, 386.) 

 (Plate VII., fig. 47 3 , 48 ? .) 

 This species was discovered at Castle Hill in January, 1893. 



The expansion of the wings is about 1J inches. The insect differs from X. semifissata in 

 the following respects : In the male the general colour is slightly duller, the outer edge of the 

 central band on the fore-wings is mure indented, and the reins an' not dotted in black. In the 

 female the markings on the fore-wings are less distinct, the veins are not marked in pale 

 ochreous, the outer edge of the central band is more deeply indented, and there is a darker 

 shading near the termen than in A", semifissata. The hind-wings of both sexes are dark ochreous, 

 without any transverse markings. 



XAXTHOEHOE CHLAMYDOTA, Meyr. 

 {Epyaxa chlamydota, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 72.) 

 (Plate ATI., fig. 28.) 

 This very handsome species has occurred at Wellington in the North Island, and at 

 Christchurch and Akaroa in the South Island. 



The expansion of the wings is 1| inches. The fore-wings are pale ochreous, with tiro broad, 

 dark, purplish-brown bands. The first, which is at the base, is slightly paler near the body, and 

 strongly curved outwards towards the termen ; it is followed by several very line pale brown transverse 

 lines. The second band is very broad, and is situated near the middle of the /ring ; its inner edge is 

 curved inwards, and its outer edge has tiro rounded projections, one eery large about the middle, and 



