' SuNLEY. - iVoies on Larvae of some New Zealand Lepidoptera . 129 



Art. XVI. — Azotes on the Larvae of some New Zealand Lepidoptera. 



By R. M. SuNLEY. 



[Reitd before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 6th July, 1910.] 



Melanchra rhodopleura Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 19. p. 19. 



Ten specimens of the very pretty larva of this insect were taken at 

 Makara at the beginning of October, 1909. 



The length was then about f in. The colour was a very pretty pale 

 green. A well-marked median dorsal stripe, white alternated with sulphur- 

 yellow, the white portions being situated near the junctions of segments, 

 and being tinged at the junctions with lilac. Faintly marked subdorsal 

 stripe, yellowish-green. Lateral stripe broad, well marked, made up of 

 i longitudinal lines of colour, the lowest one sulphur-yellow, followed bv 

 one of orange-yellow, then a broader one of white, then a very narrow 

 edging of black, on which are situated the spiracles, which are cream-colour 

 edged with black. Each segment has a number of small black warts — 2 

 on each side of the dorsal line, 1 between the subdorsal and lateral line 

 immediately above the spiracles, and a number on the ventral surface and 

 prolegs. These warts, especially those on the dorsal surface, are edged 

 \vith paler green than the body-colour, and are each furnished with a short 

 brown bristle. On segment 2 the warts are bigger, and there are 3 between 

 the dorsal and subdorsal line. After the last moult the green colour is 

 much darker. The dorsal stripe is edged with black, especially on posterior 

 end of each segment. The subdorsal lines are plainer and yellow in colour, 

 upwardly edged with black, and the posterior half of each segment becomes 

 spotted with black between the subdorsal and dorsal lines. The length 

 when full grown is 1| in. 



The food plant is Pimelea laevigata, and the larva feeds on the leaves, 

 young shoots, and flowers. When disturbed it often rolls itself up and 

 falls to the'ground. 



The pupa is at first Ught brown in colour, becoming darker as the insect 

 develops. It is enclosed in a cocoon below the surface of the ground. The 

 period of pupation is variable ; the perfect insects appeared from end of 

 December to end of April, though the larvae were all full grown about the 

 middle of November. The perfect insect is very sluggish in habit, and 

 this, together with its very protective colouring, may account for the fact 

 that it is so seldom captured. 



Leucania epiastra Meyr. 



The eggs of this species were laid on the 14th November, 1908, by a 

 female in captivity. They were firmly fastened close together on the side 

 of the box in which she was kept. In shape they are spherical, flattened 

 at the base, and rather coarsely ribbed, the ribs radiating from a dot at the 

 top. The colour is at first uniform pale yellow, but after a few days the 

 central dot becomes dark brown and a dark-brown circle appears round it. 



The larvae emerged on the 30th November. The length is about | in., 

 and the larva is very active. It makes its first meal off its egg-shell. The 

 colour is greenish-brown, becoming paler after a few days. On each seg- 

 ment are a number of black dots, from which spring hairs. The larva has 



5 — Trans. 



