Meyricx.—On New Zealand Micro-Lepidoptera. 5 
Crambus and referred them separately to the Galleride, Phycide, and Chilonida, 
three groups which do not even, so far as is known, occur in New Zealand at all. 
In the same paper he has described the sexes of one of the Tortricina as two 
distinct species, and placed them in two distinct genera in different families, 
when in fact the species was not in the least allied to either of those genera, 
and the sexes, though slightly differing in appearance, are precisely iden- 
tical in structure. I could multiply instances, but they will be referred to 
in their proper place, and I desire now only to point out clearly that Mr. 
Butler’s authority on these groups is as unreliable as that of Walker. 
The Crambide, which form the subject of the present paper, are repre- 
sented in New Zealand, so far as is at present known, by 29 species, of 
which 16 are here described for the first time. The character of this fauna 
is very interesting. Seventeen species, or more than half, belong to the 
genus Crambus; this cosmopolitan genus is nearly equally plentiful throughout 
the world, but it is very remarkable that it is almost entirely absent from 
Australia, whence are known only two species, of which certainly one, and 
perhaps both, do not belong to the indigenous fauna, and neither is related 
to the New Zealand species. These latter form a single connected group, 
diverging from a common centre, which appears to be C. vittellus, the com- — 
monest and most variable species of the group, and very similar to some 
European forms. From the unity of the group, and its connection with the 
rest of the genus at one point only, it is natural to infer its common origin ; 
but it seems hardly probable that this origin should have been by way of 
Australia, or representatives would have been found there, as they are uni- 
versally elsewhere. Nine species belong to the peculiar and very distinct 
genus Diptychophora ; besides these there are as yet only four other species 
of the genus known, three being from South America, and the fourth from 
Australia. The South American species are nearly allied to most of those 
inhabiting New Zealand, so that we have here another very clear illustra- 
tion of the affinity between the fauna of South America and that of New 
Zealand, which is indicated in several other groups of animals and plants. 
Not much stress can be laid on the single Australian species, though it is 
of a rather peculiar type, differing markedly from any other. The remain- 
ing three species of the family are referable to three different genera, one of 
these being Thinasotia, very largely represented in Australia; the New 
Zealand species is very distinct, yet perceptibly allied to a Tasmanian 
species. The other two genera are endemic, and apparently form transi- 
tional links between Thinasotia and Diptychophora, so that they may perhaps 
be regarded as approaching in character the common progenitors of these 
two very distinct genera. In connection with the above may be noticed the 
entire absence of the large nearly-allied family of the Phycide, which occur 
