4 



[June, 



Very large ; the female especially, equalling the species of Aplecta in size. 

 All the insect is dusky-gi'ey, powdered with paler scales or hairs, and without any 

 dark spot : the superior wings are oblong, almost toothed at the hinder margin ; the 

 fringe concolorous, not preceded by dots, but the extremity is white in fresh indivi- 

 duals ; all the markings are very faint, the median and basal spaces only being 

 slightly tinted with pale red, thus showing the elbowed line, which is followed by 

 a series of blackish dots, edged with white, and placed on the nervures ; the reni- 

 form stigma indicated by some pale scales : the inferior wings paler grey, with slight 

 darker clouds ; the under-side is entirely whitish, with a large grey cellular Innule, 

 and traces of a median line. The thorax, head, and palpi uniformly grey, without 

 markings. The ? is similar to the male, but much larger. 



Family y. N0CT[JID^. 



Genus Nitoceis, G-uenee, nov. gen. 



Antennae slender, pointed, simply pubescent in the male. Palpi 

 robust, slightly ascending ; the second joint broad, scaly, glossy, spotted 

 with black exteriorly ; the third short, but very distinct. Haustellum 

 rather short. Thorax quadrate, scaly, and glossy, with a raised collar ; 

 the patagia very short, distant, and ordinarily spotted with black at 

 the extremity. Abdomen not crested, slender in the , broad, flattened, 

 and with protruding oviduct in the ? . Legs with spiny tarsi, the spurs 

 long but slender. Wings smooth : superior oblong, almost as broad at 

 the base as at the hind margin, which is rounded; the orbicular 

 stigma very small and punctiform ; the reniform becoming eroded 

 inferiorily, and clearly defined on the exterior border, which appears 

 to emit a point beneath ; the terminal space broadly pale : the inferior 

 wings marked on the under-side with a broad black spot at the internal 

 angle. 



An exclusively Australasian genus. At first sight one would place 

 it in the ApamidcB by the side of Gelcena and Mamestra, and I think that 

 Mr. Walker has placed in the latter genus all the species known to 

 him. To my eye they seem true Noctuidce, related intimately with the 

 genus Noctua by our pled a, which should perhaps be added to them. 

 Perhaps one should thus adopt the generic term Ochropleura of Hiibner, 

 that Mr. Walker has used iov plecta and its allies. 



In order to give a more complete idea of this new genus, I describe 

 here all the species I possess, although they do not all pertain to New 

 Zealand ; besides I think it probable that nearly all may be found there, 



NiTOCRis BICOMMA, Gucnee. 

 Mamestra comma, Walker, p. 239, 40 ?. 



Ala anticce nigro-cinerece^pulverulentce^ strigis duahus geminis nigris, 



