Warr.—Leaf-mining Insects of New Zealand. 327 
The Leaf-mining Insects of New Zealand: Part 4—Charixena 
iridoxa Meyr., Apatetris melanombra Meyr., Philocryptica poly- 
podii Watt (Lepidoptera). 
By Morris №. Wart, Е.Е.8. 
[ Read before the joe gris Philosophical Society, 28th October, 1921 ; received by the 
Editor, 31st December, 1922 ; issued separately, 8th j xen 1924.] 
Plates 25-31. 
(24.) Charixena iridoxa € (The Е Е (Plates 25, 26, and 
late 31, figs. 1-3.) 
Philpottia iridoxa Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 48, p. 417, 1916. 
Genus Charixena Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 53, p. 335, 1921. 
This, one of the most beautiful and striking of the endemic moths, has 
an extremely interesting life-history, and amongst leaf-mining insects its 
mine is the largest, the most conspicuous, and most interesting of all. Owi 
to its being subalpine I have had no opportunity for a continuous study of 
s habite, the present paper being the result of some five or six short visi 
ts Egmont and Ruapehu, spread over the same n of years. 
Although the following notes are therefore far from complete, their publica- 
tion may be a useful guide to any one wishing to study this moth in its 
native habitat. Although the mine and the larval and pupal forms were 
long known, it was not until recently em the imago was successfully reared 
and the identity of the insect establishe 
The curious large zigzag tracks on Tw leaves of the Astelia first attracted 
my attention in 1914, but i it was not till Christmas, 1918, that I was able 
to give them further attention in the same locality, Mount perpe The 
some of the plants and took them with me, carefully potting them. In June 
I returned to Wanganui on a short visit, and before leaving Dunedin handed 
the Lien to the care of Mr. C. E. Clarke, and took several more plants down 
n I returned. The plants all stood this repeated digging up and 
replanting One day in early August, considering it time-to place a cover 
L 
