FIJI-NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITION 281 
One is at once struck by the paucity of butterflies (Rhopalocera) 
in New Zealand, not more than about twenty-five species having 
been recorded from the Dominion; among these the most con- 
spicuous is Vanessa gonerilla which is closely allied to our red 
admiral (V. atalanta) ; the thistle butterfly (V. cardut), of almost 
world-wide distribution, also occurs in the Colony as does the 
monarch (Anosia plexippus). 
On the other hand, moths (Heterocera) are unusually abundant, 
something like seven hundred species being included in the faunal 
lists. A cosmopolitan representative of the group is the army 
worm, Leucania untpunctata. 
New Zealand possesses a dipterous fauna of considerable mag- 
nitude; it is remarkable for the proportionately large number of 
erane-flies (Tipuloidea) represented, for about three hundred fifty 
species have been recorded. An abundance of wet banks along 
small streams, as well as a large amount of moist, decaying vege- 
tation, offers favorable breeding-places for these insects. 
At Rotorua I found the fork-tailed larve of Ephydra in the 
hot pools as well as adults on the surface and near the margins 
of the hot water. A slimy, dark green vegetable growth covers 
the margins and the bottoms of most of the streams and serves 
as food for several other species. 
Two of the most frequent visitors at this place were flies (Dip- 
tera). A small blackish form was very abundant. Another large, 
black species fed greedily on the algal growths. Sometimes the 
flies rested on the water while feeding but if immersed in it they 
quickly succumbed. A species of crane fly was also discovered 
about these pools. 
Two species of Hemiptera were alse taken here One was a 
small water strider which glided rapidly over the surface of the 
hot water and apparently suffered no inconvenience from it. In 
addition a species of small hydrophilid beetle (Coleoptera) and 
its larvee were found in the water. 
Among the familiar forms, the drone-fly (Hristalis tenax), the 
blue-bottle fly (Calliphora erythrocephala), the house-fly (Musca 
domestica) and the stable fly (Stomozxys calcitrans) are pretty 
generally distributed. 
Something like two hundred species of Hymenoptera (ants, bees, 
wasps, ete.) have been recorded from the Dominion but only a 
small proportion of these are ants. Some writers believe that the 
ant fauna of New Zealand is a remnant of an Australian fauna, 
