262 Transactions. — Zoology. 



obsolete ; antennae rather longer than the thorax, ciliated, tapering to the 

 tips ; abdomen not extending beyond the hind-wings ; fore-legs longer than 

 the others, slender, almost bare ; wings broad, diaphanous, thinly covered 

 with hairs ; fore-wings slightly concave along the costa, hardly oblique 

 along the hind margin, rounded at the anal angle ; discoidal cell closed by 

 a transverse angular nervure, the angle of which projects inwards ; median 

 nervure emitting four branches, the first of which springs from an abrupt 

 bend in the second at the junction of the transverse nervure, the second 

 about a third further from the third than from the first. Between the 

 median nervure and inner margin are two nervures which unite in the 

 disc, and form one nervure from thence to the hind-margin. Of these two 

 nervures the one farthest from the hind-margin is hardly visible towards 

 the base. Hind-wings with discoidal cell closed by a transverse angular 

 nervure, and divided by a vein springing from the angle of the transverse 

 nervure ; median nervure emitting four branches, the first of which springs 

 from the second at about a thu'd of the length of the latter, which is 

 abruptly angulated at its base ; the second branch more than half further 

 from the third than from the first. 



Female. — Apterous. 



Not finding its generic characters entirely agree with any of the 

 descriptions in the British Museum catalogue, I have described a new genus 

 for this insect as above. 



Oropliora toumatou, n.s. 

 [From the specific name of the shrub upon which the cases are found.] 



Male. — Ochreous grey ; the long hairs on the body and base of the 

 wings tinged with pale ochreous. 



Expanse of wings — 12-5 lines. 



Length of body — 5 lines. 



Hab. — Canterbury plains . 



Fig. B. represents the male perfect insect. 



Larva. — I have never seen the larva when full-fed. Its case measures in 

 length about sixteen hues ; the exterior covered with pieces of stems of grass, 

 from a line to five hues in length, laid on longitudinally and in the manner 

 of thatch ; the interior thickly lined with fine silk. The cases are found 

 fixed to twigs of wild Irishman (Discaria toumatou), but it may be inferred, 

 from the covering of the cases, that it probably does not feed on. the shrub 

 but upon the tussock-grass generally growing where the shrub is found. 

 It is some years since I found the cases on Discaria toumatou, growing in 

 the river beds of the Eakaia and Waimakariri, on the Canterbury Plains, 

 and I did not find any case in its earlier stage before the larva had fed up 

 and changed to the pupa state. 



