VI.— THE PRYCHINA. 123 



" A rather small family of universal distribution, but commoner in warm countries. 

 Male imago with thinly sealed wings, without markings; flight strong and swift, some- 

 times in sunshine. The female is almost wholly helpless ; the abdomen is at first 

 greatly distended with eggs, and ultimately shrivels up. 



"Ovum oval, smooth. Larva inhabiting a strong portable silken case, covered 

 with fragments of stick or refuse. Pupa within the larval case." — (Meyrick.) 



There are two genera in New Zealand closely allied to each other. 

 1. (Eceticus. -J. Okophoka. 



Genus I.— (ECETICUS, Guild. 



" Ocelli present. Antennae ',, in male strongly bi-pectinated, much more shortly on apical half. 

 Labial palpi extremely short, rough-haired. Abdomen in male very elongate, roughly hairy. Legs 

 hairy, tibiae without spurs, posterior tarsi extremely short and stout. Fore-wings with veins 4 and 

 5 short-stalked, 7 sometimes out of 9, 8 and 9 stalked, forked parting-vein well defined. Hind- 

 wines with veins 4 and 5 stalked, forked parting-vein well defined, <s connected by bar with cell 

 beyond middle. An additional vein (9) rising from 8 beyond bar, another (10) from 8 before 

 bar, and another (11) from base of costa running into 8 before 10." (See Plate I., ties. 30, 31.) 



"This generic name was wrongly spelt Oiketicus by its originator and others, for 

 which there is no possible justification. I have corrected it." — (Meyrick.) 



Although I have made several examinations of fully denuded wings of GEJ. 

 omnivoru s, I have been unable to discover any trace of the additional veins 

 mentioned by Mr. Meyrick. The hair-like scales which clothe the wings of this 

 insect are very long and slender, and might easily be mistaken for a short vein, if 

 placed in the requisite position. 1 am disposed to think that the examination of 

 undenuded specimens has led to the discrepancy between the results. 



We have one species. 



(ECETICUS OMNIVOEUS, Fereday. 



(Liothula omnivora, Fereday, Trans. X. Z. Inst, x., 260, pi. ix. CEccticus omnivorus, Meyr., 



Trans. X. Z. Inst. xxii. 212.) 



Plate XIII., lie. 6 S; Plate III., fig. 26, larva in its ease; fig, 25 ditto withdrawn from case.) 



This interesting species is seldom seen as an imago in the natural state, although 

 the cases constructed by its larva are of common occurrence. Specimens of these cases 

 have been noticed at several localities between Palmerston, in the North Island, and 

 Invercargill, in the South Island, so that apparently the insect is common, and generally 

 distributed throughout New Zealand. 



The expansion of the wanes of the male is from 1-j to 1A inches. The fore-wings an very 

 elongate and narrow. All the wings are blackish-brown, and sparsely covered with scales, the hind 

 pair being semi-transparent. The body is very hairy, and deep black, The antenna' are broadly 

 bi-pectinate at the base, becoming almost filiform towards the apex. The female insect is apterous, 

 having a close superficial resemblance to a large maggot. The head and thorax are very small, and 

 the legs and antenna; rudimentary. The extremity of the body is furnished with a two-jointed 

 ovipositor, and there are a few scattered yellowish scales on various parts of the insect. Its length is 

 about 1 inch. 



The eggs of this species are deposited inside the old case, which the female insect 

 never leaves during the whole of her life. The young larva when first hatched is about 

 I inch in length. Its head and three anterior segments are corneous and much larger 

 than the others, which are rather soft with the exception of the last one. These little 



