6g australasian woodboring hkpialidae 



Ova. 

 We obtained imagines of C. virescens plentifully during the 

 month of September this year, by searching treetriini<s in the 

 bush where they were known to be. They emerge half an hour 

 or so before dark, and the males take Hight within half an hour 

 after dark. In consequence of the wings being limp when first 

 taken they were placed in a rather large breeding cage, having 

 gauze sides, so that though for some time a dozen of each sex were 

 in this cage together, none were observed to copulate. This was 

 rather a surprise as we thought the close proximity of the sexes 

 would induce copulation. The female." commenced to deposit 

 ova immediately after dark, and in a short time there were 

 countless numbers of ova at the bottom of the cage. 



One pair were kept together until they died, 3 on the 

 third day $ on the fourth, they were never seen in copulation, 

 but the female deposited ova every evening. The abdomen 

 of the female was opened after it died, and the space within was 

 at the thoracic end, the pressure of the remaining ova being 

 towards the anal extremity of the abdomen. 



The ova within the abdomen are connected by a continuous 

 thread-like tissue, and are yellowish in colour, they are extruded 

 automatically at random, and must in a state of nature fall to 

 the ground about the roots of the trees upon which the females 

 probably rest while depositing. The ova of C. vii'escens are 

 spherical and smooth, when first extruded they are yellowish, 

 but in a few hours become black in colour. A female C. exiniia 

 which emerged during the journey from Queensland, commenced 

 to deposit ova freely the first evening after its relea.se from 

 durance vile. The ova of C. eximia are very much smaller 

 than those of C. virescens, they are spherical, smooth, 

 yellowish at first, and afterwards become black in colour. 



Hitherto we believe there is no record of the colour change 

 in ova of C. virescens : Hudson says* " The female lays an 

 enormous number of small, round, yellowish eggs." With 

 regard to the Australian Charagia, the eggs "are of a pale yellow 

 colour, but soon turn to a slaty gray hue " (Illidge), there is a 

 grayish hue on the ova of C. eximia, which we have also 

 observed on the ova of C. virescens, and of some Porina, but 

 cannot detect it under the microscope. It is important to 

 note this colour change which we suspect is characteristic of 

 the whole group, and the real colour of the eggshell is black 



* New Zealand Macro Lepidoptera. 



