244 
NOTOREAS. By L. B. Prout. 
hexaleuca. 
isoleuca. 
isomoera. 
galaxias. 
arcuata. 
chioneres. 
mechanitis. 
blax. 
atmogram¬ 
ma. 
N. hexaleuca Meyr. (24 d) The smallest of the mechanitis group and perhaps with relatively less short 
pectinations (antennae lost in both the specimens before me). Further distinguishable by the rather strong 
white (or almost white) markings; almost straight antemedian, slender angulated median and 
thick excurved postmedian. Fringes barred, and at base somewhat darkened, with fuscous. Underside 
with the white markings a little more extended. Ben Lomond (loc. typ.) and Flagstaff Hill, Dunedin, 1000—3500 
feet, rather sparingly. I only know the Flagstaff form, which is said to differ slightly from the type. Its 
larger relatives with straightish antemedian ( isomoera and chioneres) differ from it in the fringes, the median 
and the postmedian lines, isomoera in the colour also. 
N. isoleuca Meyr. (24 e). Founded on a $ from Castle Hill, with an expanse of 20 mm and admittedly 
nearly allied to mechanitis , “but differing especially in the single well-defined median streak, which in mechanitis 
is replaced by two cloudy streaks of yellowish suffusion”, this was temporarily suppressed by its author in 
1905 as only a form, “the chief differences being due to a diminution of the yellow suffusion”; but in 1911, 
after close study of the group, he reinstated it as “smaller and shorter-winged (20—22 mm), blackish with 
little or no yellow admixture; the lines white, antemedian curved, postmedian angulated in middle, others 
slender and sometimes partially obsolete; cilia with basal half dark fuscous, outer half whitish, obscurely 
barred with grey”. The Mount Arthur which we figure, determined by Mr. Meyrick himself, shows the 
less denticulate antemedian, much less irregular postmedian and more interrupted subterminal which generally 
distinguish the species. Mt. Peel and Arthur's Pass are also known localities. 
N. isomoera sp. n. (24 f). 22—23 mm. Very near isoleuca, so determined in the Howes collection. 
Pectinations of $ slightly shorter. Markings broader, yellower; forewing with median line definitely and the 
postmedian rather acutely angled, subterminal extremely slight except anteriorly and as a dot in cellule 3; 
hindwing with similar distinctions. Queenstown, type $ and allotype; Obelisk Range, 1 $; all in my collection. 
N. galaxias Huds. (24 f), a single $ from Old Man Range (Central Otago), ca. 4000 feet, seems very 
distinct in having on the forewing only white bands, the 1st. spotted with black, the 2nd. broad and very 
strongly outbent, continued on the hindwing. More recalls some Palaearctic Epirrhoe aberrations. 
N. arcuata Philpott (24 f), founded on 2 from Arthur’s Pass and one (the type) from the St. Arnaud 
Range, Nelson, was compared with mechanitis, although it was admitted that in the absence of the $ its 
generic position was not quite certain. Forewing with fringe strongly chequered, postmedian line quite distinct 
in form, proximally black-margined, followed by narrow yellow margin indented before and behind middle; 
ground-colour dark fuscous, densely irrorated with yellow. 
N. chioneres sp. n. (24 f). A little larger than our figured isoleuca (23 mm); forewing with subbasal 
and antemedian lines somewhat oblique inward from median vein hindward, the antemedian not curving 
inward anteriorly, median line much thicker, postmedian more distal, with projection slightly larger, sub- 
terminal extremely slender, excepting a white V between costa and 1st. radial and a white spot in cellule 3; 
hindwing with vague whitish suffusions instead of 1st. line, postmedian angled; fringes wholly white. 
Obelisk Range, Central Otago, February 1912 (W. G. Howes), 1 £ in my collection. 
N. mechanitis Meyr. (24 f) is always quite distinct from paradelpha (24 e), both wings being definitely 
less elongate, the antemedian of the forewing more curved, the postmedian with a stronger projection in the 
middle and not indented before and behind the projection, the distal half of the fringes white, not dark-barred. 
The original series of 15, from Arthur's Pass and Mount Hutt, was believed to be homogeneous, but numerous 
puzzling forms and close relatives (see above) have since been met with and there are probably still some awaiting 
differentiation. Generally, the very strong yellow suffusions of the true mechanitis and its strongly curved 
antemedian are distinctive. 
N. blax sp. n. (24 f). Possibly a dwarf race (20—22 mm) of atmogramma, of which I have seen only 
the $ here figured (24f), but which is shown by Hudson’s figures to be very variable. Underside closely 
like that of atmogramma, the ground-colour being pale, the forewing with strong cell-dot, angular postmedian 
and more or less interrupted and macular subterminal shade, the hindwing with no definite markings except 
a cell-dot. Upperside paler-mixed and somewhat less brown than in typical atmogramma, antemedian more 
oblique inward in its posterior part. Fringes above and beneath white, scarcely at all suffused in their 
proximal half (in atmogramma the proximal half is brown, very conspicuously so beneath). Bold Peak. Lake 
Wakatipu, 4 and 10 February 1913 (W. G. Howes), 2 SS and 2 $$ in my collection. Philpott, certainly in 
error, determined one of these for me as “paradelpha Q, rather small and rather more yellowish than usual' . 
Wings less elongate, underside quite different, etc. 
N. atmogramma Meyr. (24 f), first described as a well-marked local form of mechanitis but afterwards 
given the status of a species, is larger (25—28 mm. while true mechanitis does not exceed 23), duller and with 
