NOTOREAS. By L. B. Prout. 
243 
N. vulcanica Meyr. Rather smaller (“22 mm”), the forewing with irregular blackish subbasal, ante- vulcanica. 
median and postmedian bands, the hindwing in basal half wholly dark fuscous, its outer edge twice deeply 
sinuate, the rest deep orange with fuscous markings, namely: a line near and parallel with the edge of the 
basal area; an irregular dentate subterminal band, partly confluent with a terminal one. Both wings beneath 
light orange, with 2 postmedian lines, subterminal and terminal band; forewing further with 2 incomplete, 
straight proximal lines, hindwing with a dentate antemedian. Kaweka Range (Hawke’s Bay district); Hudson 
adds the lower slopes of Mount Ruapehu and in South Island at Macctown. 
• 
N. brephosata Walk. (= catocalaria Guen., brephos Feld.) (24 d). One of the commonest and best- brephosata. 
known Notoreas, distributed in open country from sea level to 4000 feet; somewhat variable in the strength of 
the black markings and also in the colour of the forewing, which may be greyer or browner. Generally easy 
to distinguish from vulcanica , as described by Meyrick, in that the hindwing retains much orange in the basal 
half and has the subterminal line slight or obsolescent, well free from the dark border. I have, however, a 
few interesting aberrations which bridge the distinctions; a 3 from Roxburgh, taken with a typical brephosata $, 
has the proximal half of the hindwing heavily dark-marked (but retaining some orange), the subterminal band 
almost confluent anteriorly with the terminal; 2 33 from Taihape (determined by Mr. W. G. Howes as vul¬ 
canica) show a still further advance in the darkening, one of them, indeed, almost (not quite) fulfilling Mey- 
rick’s condition (“basal half wholly dark fuscous”), but both having the shape of the median line quite 
normal, not “twice deeply sinuate”. Possibly vulcanica is only an extreme local form of the present species ( ?). 
N. zopyra Meyr. (24 d). “The smallest of the group” and constant. Hudson sunk it to brephos , though zopyra . 
pointing out very accurately the distinctions; but Philpott has demonstrated pronounced differences in the 3 
genitalia. Hudson calls it “a small form, often met with on mountains or in river beds, forewing almost blue, 
transverse lines rather distinct, hindwing very bright orange with very narrow black markings”. Founded 
on 3<$ from Mount Hutt. The egg is oval, bright orange-brown with a depression on its upperside and with 
fine, hexagenal reticulation. 
N. ferox Bull. (24 e). Forewing weakly marked, hindwing with two straight median lines, the ferox. 
proximal one heavy, the succeeding lines more dentate. Both wings beneath bright orange, marked approxi¬ 
mately as the hindwing above, but with a characteristic w hitening of the ground-colour distally, so that 
at least the line between subterminal and terminal may almost be called white. Type probably from Castle 
Hill. Recorded also from Mount Earnslaw. 
N. simplex Huds. (24 e), of which the $ type, from Mount Arthur, near Nelson, still remains the simplex. 
only specimen known, is distinguished by the unmarked hindwing and especially the unmarked buff apical 
region of the forewing, the last 3 dark lines not reaching the costa. In the absence of the 3 the placing is 
only conjectural; the pose of the lines, with their sharp white edging, somewhat recalls Arctesthes perornata. 
N. fulva Huds. (24 d). This anomalous species was described as a Lythria, first removed by Meyrick fulva. 
to Notoreas, later by the same author to Dasyuris. The 3 pectinations are stout and not very long. In some¬ 
what more than half of the specimens which I have examined the areole is double; but in 2 33 (put of 8) and 
5 (out of 10) it is single or virtually so, transitions occurring. Thus evidently a link between Notoreas and 
Arctesthes. Mount Ida, Central Otago at 3500 feet; locally abundant at Cromwell; also recorded from Alexandra. 
N. niphocrena Meyr. (24 e). An attractive species, characterized by the white subbasal, antemedian niphocrena. 
and postmedian lines of the forewing above and the white postmedian of both wings beneath. The original 
2 were taken on the mountainside above Arthur’s Pass 4500 feet; other known haunts are the Tararua Range, 
Mount Arthur and Bold Peak. 
N. ischnocyma Aleyr. (= isoleuca Huds. olim, nec Aleyr.) (24 e). 20 mm. Dark fuscous with some ischnocyma. 
scattered yellow-whitish scales; lines slender, white; median line indistinct, outbent before middle; 
postmedian waved throughout, angulated in middle, indented behind middle; subterminal irregularly waved; 
fringes white, basal half chequered with dark fuscous. Castle Hill, Craigieburn Range, ca. 5600 feet. Easily 
known by the postmedian line. 
N. ortholeuca Huds. Pectinations about 3 times diameter of shaft. Expanse slightly over ]/ 2 inch, ortholeuea . 
Forewing elongate, apex produced; black with 3 almost straight white bands, the 2nd. slightly dilated in the 
centre, the 3rd. very slightly curved, strongly dilated in disc; subterminal rudimentary. Hindwing black, with 
a broad white stripe beyond the middle. Glenorchy, Lake Wakatipu, 6000—7000 feet, 1 3- 
N. paradelpha Meyr. (24 e). Rather long-w r inged, brown, all the pale markings whitish, the subterminal paradelpha. 
on both wings somewhat broad and strikingly zigzag. Generally distributed, at least in South Island, 2000 
to 5000 feet. 
