90 A FRAGMENTARY PAPKK ON THE LARVAL, ETC. 



the Australian region that the group is most numerous. Mr. R. 

 Illidge of Brisbane, and other entomologists have kindly 

 furnished me with lists. From these I find thirty-one representa- 

 tives of the grou . are described. In New Zealand nine 

 representatives are described. Of the Australian species, twelve, 

 and three doubtful are of the genus Hepialus. In New Zealand 

 Hepialus virescens is the only one, the remaining eight being of 

 the genus Porina. The Hepialus of Europe are root feeders, 

 the ova are black, spherical, and laid loosely amongst the 

 herbage. The Porinas of New Zealand are also root 

 feeders, ova black, spherical, and laid loosely. I am not 

 acquainted with the ova of Hepialus virescens. Hudson states 

 they are " very small yellowish, round" (N. Z. Macro Lepi- 

 doptera.) Illidge states the ova of the Australian Hepialus 

 [ChditKiia) "are a 'pale yellow colour" when extruded "turn 

 slaty gray hue " afterwards, the larvte are internal wood feeders. 

 Between the European black ova, root feeding larvte, and the 

 Australasian yellow-gray ova, wood-feeding larv;v, there seems 

 sufficient distinction to provisionally adopt the name Charagia 

 (Walk) for those species associated under the name Hepialus (F.) 

 leaving the latter name to the European representatives. This 

 is done by Illidge in his paper (" Proceedings of the Royal 

 Society of Queensland," volume XIV). 



Dr. S. A. Chapman some years since, in a letter to the 

 writer expressed the opinion that the true position of the 

 Hepialidie and Cossidse among the Lepidoptera could be best 

 worked out in Australia, but the subterranean and internal feed- 

 ing habits of the larv;e render observation and collection of 

 material difficult and uniuvitmg to the general worker. Of the 

 N. Z. Porinas I have obtained ova, etc., of four species. The 

 larvte of H. virescens I have often watched when they 

 replaced the damaged cover of their burrow at night, but was 

 unable uniil recently, to procure any of the wood into which 

 they burrow. In August the insect is in pupa, but I succeeded 

 in obtaining half-grown larvie, proving the species occupies at 

 least two years in its transformations. Hudson gives no hint as 

 to the time so occupied. Illidge mentions from "one to three 

 years" for the Australian species, and that the larvie burrow 

 into the tree then, downwards. A specimen of the virescens 

 which I examined burrowed into the wood, the burrow being at 



