Meykick. — On New Zealand Micro-Lepidoptera. 5 



Cr ambus and referred them separately to the GalleridoB, Phycidce, and Chilonidcc, 

 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 Crambida, 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 otber. 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 Diptychopliora, 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 Phycida;, which occur 



