Meyrick.^Oh New Zealand Micro-Lepidoptera. 



121 



Art. XII. — Descriptions of New Zealand Micro-Lepidoptera. 

 By E. Meyrick, B.A. 



[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, '2nd October, 1884.] 



VI.— PYKAL1DINA. 



Seven families of Pyralidina are represented in New Zealand, of which the 

 two most important here, the Crambidce and Scopariada, have been dis- 

 cussed in former papers. Three others — the Pyralididce, Pterophoridce, and 

 Hydrocampidm — are given here, as well as some considerable additions to 

 the CramMda. The remaining two, which are the Botydichr, and MusotimidcB, 

 I have recently given a list of in the Transactions of the Entomological 

 Society of London for 1884, with descriptions of the new species, in con- 

 nection with a paper on Australian species of the group ; these will also be 

 given here in a subsequent paper. 



The Pyralididce, and HydrocampidcB are each represented only by a single 

 species, and neither is indigenous in the strict sense. The species of Pyra- 

 lididce is a common domestic insect introduced from Europe, and now estab- 

 lished throughout most of the world ; that of Hydrocampidce, is an Austra- 

 lian species, and must be considered to have found its way over in recent 

 times. The Pterophoridce, contain eleven species, of which one is also 

 Australian, and belongs to a genus not otherwise represented in New 

 Zealand ; one is closely allied to a European form, and may even prove 

 identical with it ; the remaining nine are all endemic. These appear to be 

 all of cosmopolitan genera ; an unexpected result, and rather suggesting 

 the inference that the generic limitation is not yet sufficiently precise, but I 

 do not at present see tangible points of difference. Australia is relatively 

 poor in Pterophoridm, having as yet only furnished me with the same 

 number as New Zealand ; the character of the fauna shows little resem- 

 blance. The tendency to partial obsolescence in the neuration of this 

 family makes their study a difficult one. 



I give a table showing the comparative numbers of all the families of 

 Pyralidina in New Zealand and in the European region, to show the great 

 irregularity of their representation here : in Australia their relative num- 

 bers are very much as in Europe : — 



— 



Europe. 



New Zealand. 



Pyralididas 



Musotimidffl 



Botydidaa 





40 







204 



104 



18 



36 



108 



250 



7 



•1 



2 



11 



11 







*1 



58 



Cranibidfe. . . » . 





44 

 

















* Not indigenous. 



