Plutella cruciferarum Z. is here, as elsewhere, a serious pest to 

 turnips and other crops of a similar kind. 



The Zygaenidae are entirely absent, and there are only two 

 species of the Psychidae. The large larva-cases of Oeceticus 

 omnivorus Fereday are conspicuous on many indigenous and 

 imported trees throughout the Islands, but are said to be less 

 common than in former years. The Hepialidae include several 

 fine sjDecies, among them the largest Lepidopterous insect of 

 New Zealand, Charagia virescens Dbld. This very handsome 

 green moth, whose life-history is fully and admirably detailed 

 by Mr. Hudson in his " New Zealand Moths and Butterflies," 

 is by no means rare, esj)ecially in the North Island, though the 

 perfect insect is not often seen, and most of the specimens 

 obtained are bred from the pupa. The larva feeds in the solid 

 wood of living trees, and from its large size is capable of doing 

 a great deal of damage. For a long time this larva was sup- 

 posed to be the host of the fungus Cordyceps robertsii, well 

 known as a curiosity under the name of the " New Zealand 

 Vegetable Caterpillar " ; but the ground-feeding larvae of 

 the allied genus Porina have recently been ascertained to be 

 the true hosts of this singular parasite. The Micropterygidae 

 of New Zealand are of exceptional interest as including, in the 

 genera Mnemearcha and Sabatinca, the most ancient and primi- 

 tive forms of Lepidoptera now existing. A single species of 

 the last-named genus is known from Queensland, but with 

 this exception, the three genera and thirteen species occurring 

 in the Islands are strictly endemic. 



In his valuable paper " On the Geographical Eelations of 

 the New Zealand Faima," Prof. Hutton in 1872 wrote as 

 follows * — " The Heteroptera are remarkable for their frag- 

 mentary character, and wide distribution. The 13 known 

 species belong to 13 different genera and 9 families ; and there 

 are not more than 7 endemic species, three of which have not 

 been properly examined, and may therefore be found to be 

 identical with species inhabiting other countries. ... In 

 strong contrast to this stand the Homoptera, which include 19 

 species, of three (sic) genera only ; Cicada having 12, and Cixius 

 7 species." But while a fair number of species have since been 

 * Trans. N.Z. Inst., V, pp. 247-8. 



