Meyrick. — A Revision of New Zealand Pyi'alidiiia. 41 



90. P. comastis Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1884, 335. 



Nelson, Christcliurcli, Castle Hill, Wedderburn. 



23. Heliothela Gruen. 



Heliothela Guen., Pyr., 152 (1854) ; type, atralis Hiib. Nyctarcha 

 Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1884, 344 ; type, ophideres Walk. 



Antennae less than f. Labial palpi porrected, second joint with dense 

 projecting scales beneath, longer towards apex, terminal joint exposed, 

 stont. Maxillary palpi not much shorter than labial, expanded with scales 

 towards apex, truncate. Tibial outer spurs half inner. Hindwings with 

 lower margin of cell more or less clothed with loose hairs towards base, 

 but without defined pecten. 



A small genus of early type, containing at present two European species, 

 one Indian ranging into Australia and Madagascar, three Australian, and 

 one New Zealand species. 



91. H. erebopis n. sp. : atra ButL, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1877, 404 ; 



Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 1885, 70. 



Castle Hill, Lake Wakatipu ; 2,000-5,000 ft. I think it necessary 

 to rename this species, as Butler's name atra is certainly likely to 

 . lead to confusion with the European atralis, the type of the genus. 

 Butler did not recognize his species as a Heliothela. 



24. Scoparia Haw. 

 Scoparia Haw., Lep. Brit., 491 (1911) ; type, cembrae Haw. 

 Xeroscopa Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1884, 349 ; type, 

 ejuncida Knaggs. 



Antennae |. Labial palpi porrected, second joint with long dense 

 projecting scales beneath, longer towards apex, terminal joint exposed. 

 Maxillary palpi rather long, triangularly dilated with scales. Tibial outer 

 spurs half inner. Hindwings with 4 and 5 connate or stalked. 



A large genus, of world-wide distribution, but nowhere very prominent 

 except in New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands, in each of w^hich regions 

 it is very numerously developed ; in New Zealand it has eighty-eight 

 species, being the largest genus of Lepidoptera, and forming nearly a tenth 

 of the whole lepidopterous fauna, and in the Hawaiian Islands it has about 

 sixty species. The larvae mostly feed on mosses and lichens, but some- 

 times on the roots of other plants, and probably many of the New Zealand 

 species feed on the roots of grass, their habits being similar to those of 

 Crambus. The greater number of the New Zealand species are considerably 

 larger and more diversified in appearance than those of other regions ; 

 these types are most nearly approached by the few species known from 

 the colder parts of South America, whence others will doubtless be dis- 

 covered. 



92. S. thyridias Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1905, 228. 



Lake Wakatipu. 



93. S. oreas Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 1885, 81. 



Lake Wakatipu ; 5,000 ft. 



94. S. philerga Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 1885, 81. 



North and South Islands ; generally common. 



95. .S'. melitimja Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lr'wid., 1905, 228. 



Auckland, Wellington. 



