52 NEW ZEALAND NEUBOPTEEA. 



cubital vein, before the apex, is a conspicuous irregular whitish spot mar- 

 gined with black, and along the excised apical margin and on the inner 

 margin are smaller whitish spots, margined with blackish internally, or with 

 a blackish dot on each side ; the sector has sixteen principal branches ; the 

 inner series of gradate nervules is rudimentary. The posterior wings are 

 paler than the anterior, without whitish spots ; and the black dots are only 

 faintly indicated on the costal margin." * 



This species varies very much in colour. The wings 

 are much brighter in some specimens than in others. 

 The dull forms somewhat approach very pale specimens 

 of S. incisus, but are quite distinct therefrom. Some of 

 the bright forms are very beautiful, and almost golden 

 when the insect is alive. One very striking and rare 

 variety has the black spots on the wings very large, and 

 the ground colour less golden and more yellow than 

 usual (see fig. 5). The transformations of this insect 

 appear to closely resemble those of 8. incisus. The 

 larva is, however, softer, larger, stouter, and of a pale 

 brownish colour in place of black. Its jaws are also 

 shorter, but in other respects it appears identical with 

 the same stage in S. incisus. It constructs a cocoon 

 exactly like that insect, but the enclosed pupa is pale 

 yellowish-brown. 



The perfect insect appears at the end of November, 

 and may be met with until about the middle of March. 

 It frequents the banks of streams in deep, forest-clad 

 valleys, where it may often be taken in company with 

 S. incisus. 



STENOSMYLUS STELLA. 



Stenosmylus stellce, McLachlan, Ent. Mon. Mag. 

 Second Series, vol. x. 259. 



(Plate VIII., fig. 8 type, 7 variety obliteratus.) 



This pretty little species appears to be extremely 

 local, though it is sometimes very abundant in certain 

 favoured spots which it frequents. 



I first met with the insect in January, 1889, when I 

 captured a single specimen of the variety obliteratus, 

 at the source of the River Pearse, near Mount Arthur, 

 Nelson, at an elevation of about 3,600 feet above the 

 sea-level. From that time I believe no other specimens 

 were found until November, 1898, when I re-discovered 

 the insect at Wainui-o-mata. Here it occurred in the 

 greatest profusion resting on the fuchsia bushes, 



* McLachlan, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., July, 1873. 



