142 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



This Arctid-Hypsid is very plentiful in New Zealand, and, 

 according to authors, is endemic ; but " two closely allied species 

 belonging to the same genus are found in Australia." I believe 

 no detailed life-history of either species has been published, and 

 this paper may interest some entomologists to compare with the 

 more or less allied Arctia caia, as set forth in Dr. Chapman's 

 elaborate paper (Entom. Eecord, vols, iv., v.). 



Ovum. — During the month of March, 1900, I procured several 

 batches of ova from wild females ; though some were laid loosely, 

 others were deposited in regular order, in fact iu hexagonal order. 

 Ti)e ovum is globular, a little flat on the attached surface ; colour 

 yellowish, and the opaque highly polished surface is covered with a 

 very fine hexagoual pattern. Tlie ovum becomes transparent and 

 black a short time before hatching; it hatches in nine days ; the empty 

 egg-shell is eaten by the newly hatched larva. 



The young larvae eat the under side of the leaf in patches ; 

 they do not eat right through the leaf, but leave the thin upper 

 epidermis. One larva ate right through the leaf while in its fifth 

 skin, but it seems to be in the last skin preceding pupation when 

 they eat through the leaf as a regular proceeding. 



Larva (newly hatched). — Head dark brown, remaining segments 

 pale in colour ; the tubercles and setae soon become brown, but the 

 spiracles remain pale-coloured. Viewed from above the segments have 

 a lumpy appearance, post-trapezoidal and supra-spiracular tubercles 

 being on conspicuous swellings. The whole larva-skin is covered with 

 minute hairs, and nearly all the setae of tubercles are spinulose ; the 

 structure of the setae is exactly the same in newly hatched and adult 

 larvae. Head has more than a dozen hairs on each lobe, six hairs on 

 clypeus ; the hairs of the head are smooth. Antennae are broad at 

 base, uarrow middle joint, wider outer jomt terminated by three fleshy 

 processes and a bristle. Spinneret short. Prothorax : the dorsal 

 plate has a rounded posterior, is dark in colour, and at either side of 

 the mid-dorsal line are two remote anterior setae and two remote 

 posterior seise, which form a transverse diamond pattern ; below the 

 plate a subdorsal tubercle has two rims (?with pale smooth hairs) ; a 

 mid-lateral tubercle bears two setae ; posterior to this is the spiracle ; 

 above the leg a large tubercle bears two setae. Meso-thorax : a large 

 dorsal tubercle on either side of mid-dorsal line bears three setae 

 arranged triangule pattern ; a small subdorsal tubercle bears one pale 

 smooth seta ; an anterior lateral tubercle bears one seta ; the leg 

 tubercle bears two setae. Post-thorax : dorsal tubercles bear three 

 setae arranged in transverse line, otherwise the details are as meso- 

 tborax. All the thoracic legs have smooth hairs at the joints. 

 Abdomen : the anterior trapezoidal tubercles are close together, post- 

 trapezoidals remote, one seta each ; the supra-spiracular tubercle bears 

 one seta, and is anterior to the post-trapezoidal and immediately above 

 the spiracle ; the subspiracular tubercles are well below the spiracle, 

 remote from each other, and bear one seta each. Segments 1, 2 have 

 two subventral setae, these are on the base of abdominal feet of seg- 



