28 NEW ZEALAND MACB0-LEP1D0PTEBA. 



dark spot in its lower portion ; the space surrounding the stigmata is clouded with dark blackish- 

 brown ; there is a terminal series of small blackish crescentic marks, and the cilia are dark grey. The 

 hind-wings are brownish-grey ; the cilia are also grey tipped with white. 



This species is evidently closely allied to M. phricias, but may at present be 

 distinguished by its darker and more bluish colouring. 



The perfect insect appears in January and March. I have taken it at light on 

 the Tableland of Mount Arthur, at 3,600 feet above the sea-level. 



Genus 8.— ERANA, Walk. 



" Eyes hairy. Antenna3 in male filiform, simple, with scattered single cilia. Thorax with 

 anterior and posterior crests. Abdomen with strong dorsal crests towards base. Fore-wings in 

 male beneath with a very long dense tuft of scent-giving hairs from base ; transverse vein absent, 

 7 and 8 out of '.), 10 free. Hind-wings with transverse vein absent, costa in male broadly dilated." — 

 (Meyrick.) (Plate II., tig. 9 fore-wing, 10 hind-wing.) * 



We have one species representing this interesting genus. 



EEANA GEAMINOBA, Walk. 



(Eraita graminosa, Walk., Noct. 605. E. v'ujois, ib., Suppl. 743. Erana graminosa, Meyr., Trans. 



N. Z. Inst. xix. 28.) 



(Plate V., fig. 24 3 , 25 ? ; Plate III., fig. 8, larva.) 



This beautiful species appears to be fairly common in many forests in the North 

 Island. It has occurred at Wanganui, Masterton, Palmerston, and Wellington. In 

 the South Island it has been taken by Mr. Philpott, at West Plains, near Invercargill. 



The expansion of the wings is about 1J inches. The fore-wings are bright green ; there are 

 three paler green transverse lines, edged with black ; one near the base of the wing, one just beyond 

 the reniform spot, and one close to the termen ; this last is inwardly much clouded with dark olive- 

 green ; the reniform spot is pale green edged with black. The hind-wings are very broad, pinkish- 

 brown, tinged with green on the termen. In the female the hind-wings are considerably narrower, 

 and are not so strongly tinged with green as in the male. 



Home specimens appear to be rather darker than others, but beyond this I have not 

 detected any variation. 



The eggs are rather large, globular, flattened above and beneath, and pale green 

 in colour. 



The larva feeds on the mahoe (Melicytus ramiflorus). 



When first excluded from the egg it is about ^ inch long, and of a very pale green colour. 

 After the first moult the caterpillar is bright green, darker towards the head, with white dorsal, 

 subdorsal, and lateral lines; there are eight rows of shining black spots, each spot emitting a number 

 of stout black bristles ; the head is yellowish-brown with a few black dots. After the last moult the 

 larva has a totally different appearance. It is pale green marbled with darker green ; there is often 

 a whitish lateral line, and an obscure series of diagonal green stripes on the sides of each segment. 

 Sometimes the whole larva has a pinkish-brown tinge, and there are often two or three rows of pale 

 spots. In fact the full-grown caterpillar is very variable in its colouring. 



These Larvae hibernate during the winter months, often secreting themselves in the 

 burrows which have been made in the stems of the mahoe by various species of wood- 

 boring insects. They come abroad about the end of August, and are lull grown early 

 in October. The pupa state is spent in the earth. 



The moth appears in December, January, February, March and April. It is often 



Tlir accurate ascertainment of the positions of the veins near the costa in this species is a matter of considerable 

 difficulty owinj; to the extremely dense tuft of hairs there situated. 



