IV. THE PAPILIONINA. 119 



zealandice, a plant he had noticed much frequented by this butterfly, he succeeded in 

 finding a larva which there could be little doubt would have given rise to this insect, 

 had it lived. The following is taken from his description : The caterpillar is shaped 

 like a wood-louse, hairy, and pale green. There is a series of conical purplish spots 

 down the back, edged first with white, and then with dull red. On the sides there is 

 a series of pale pinkish oblique stripes, blended with dull red towards the spiracles. 



The perfect insect is very common in dry, stony places, generally near river-beds, 

 during January, February and March. It flies only a short distance when disturbed, 

 but is very quick on the wing, and hence difficult to catch until one becomes accus- 

 tomed to it. In some places these little butterflies are so abundant that they take 

 wing like a swarm of blow-flies. They seldom open their wings whilst at rest, so 

 that when perched on the ground they are very inconspicuous. 



Genus 2. LYC.ENA, F. 



" Eyes hairy. Club of antennas elongate. Fore-wings with vein 6 separate, 8 and 9 stalked. 



"A large genus of nearly universal distribution. Imago usually with a horny apical 

 hook on anterior tibiae. Larva short, stout, attenuated at extremities, with short hairs. 

 Pupa attached by tail and often a central belt of silk, or unattached or subterranean. "- 

 (Meyrick.) 



Eepresented in New Zealand by two species. 



LYC^NA PHCEBE, Murray. 



(Lycana phve.be, Murray, Ent. Mo. Mag., 1873, 107.) 



(Plate XII., fig. 10, 11 under side.) 



This little butterfly is extremely abundant in the neighbourhood of Nelson. I 

 have also taken it in plenty in several localities in the Wellington district, and suspect 

 it is common throughout the North Island. In other parts of the South Island its 

 place appears to be taken by L. oxleyi. 



The expansion of the wings of the male is 1 inch, of the female inch. On the upper side all 

 the wings are pale blue, broadly bordered with dull brown. The cilia are white, faintly barred with 

 brownish. On the under side all the wings, are pale slaty-grey. There is a faint blackish spot, edged 

 with white, near the middle of the fore-wings, and two rows of similar spots near the termen. The 

 hind-wings have several very faint white-edged spots near the base, a row near the middle, and 

 another row almost entirely white near the termen. 



The perfect insect frequents waste grounds and sandhills, generally beside roads 

 and river-beds, and when found is usually very common. It is on the wing from the 

 beginning of October until the end of March. 



LYCANA OXLEYI, Feld. 

 (Lycana oxleyi, Felder, Eeise de Novara Lep. ii., 280, pi. 35, fig. 6, 1865.) 



(Plate XII., fig. 12 under side.) 



According to Mr. Enys * this butterfly is common in both islands. I have taken 

 specimens in the Canterbury and Nelson districts. 



On the upper side this species can only be distinguished from the preceding by its somewhat 

 brighter colour, and by the cilia which are more sharply barred with brown. On the under side the 

 whole of the fore-wings, and the central portions of the hind-wings between the outer and inner series 

 of spots, are much darker and browner than in L. phosbe; the spots themselves are also considerably 

 darker, and the central series of the hind-wings is almost black. A careful examination, however, 

 shows that the markings are practically identical in both species, although of different degrees of 



* ' Catalogue of N. Z. Butterflies,' 22. 



