248 
XANTHORHOE. By L. B. Prout. 
occulta. 
mnesichola. 
oxyptera. 
nephelias. 
subflava. 
helms. 
aphelias. 
frivota. 
stric-ta. 
X. occulta Philpott (24 k). Pectinations very short. Palpus long. Hindwing elongate after the manner 
of Ortholitha. The wings in the $ are narrower than in the <$, with the apices rather acutely produced, perhaps 
in process of becoming semiapterous as Meyrick (Trans. N. Z. Inst., Vol. 64, p. 151) records an extreme case 
(perhaps teratological) where the power of flight was evidently already lost. Very glossy, almost unmarked 
above, cell-dots and postmedian shown beneath, where moreover the wings are more alike in colouring (lighter 
than the forewing above) and the forewing has some greyish suffusion as far as the postmedian. New Zealand, 
widely distributed in Otago; in the North Island it has been found in the Tararua Ranges. 
X. mnesichola Meyr. (24 k). Broader-winged and paler, the markings of the forewing above less obso¬ 
lescent, both wings beneath a little more strongly marked than above, Antennal pectinations normal. Mount 
Arthur, 4000 to 4800 feet. 
X. oxyptera Huds. (24 k) has been placed provisionally here, but its author writes: “As it is represented 
by a single specimen only, I am unwilling to denude the wings. Hence I cannot be sure that it is correctly re¬ 
ferred to Xanthorhoe .” Pectinations long, black; wings elongate, narrow, forewing extremely acute; greyish 
brown (forewing rather dark), very glossy, forewing with a black cell-dot. Auckland Island. 
X. nephelias Meyr. (24 k). Wings strongly glossy; probably better an Ortholitha by shape; in the $ very 
narrow although not so extreme as in the $ oxyptera. A little larger than most of the similarly coloured 
species. Somewhat intermediate in aspect between L. sericodes and L. exoriens, much less weakly marked 
beneath than the former, but not so heavily as is usual in the latter; costal part of for owing pale and weakly 
marked. Above Arthur’s Pass, 4600 feet. 
X. subflava Hoives is said to resemble L. aegrota in colour and markings “but is % larger and the under¬ 
side is free from marking”. Variable in the extent of the markings of the forewing. Hudson sinks it to the 
preceding, which is plausible, as the series (5 <3$) came also from Arthur’s Pass (4000 feet); but Mr. Philpott 
wrote me that, judging by a single example which he took in the same locality, he believed it was a good species. 
Perhaps more ochreous and with the postmedian of the forewing more distal and the subterminal marks of the 
hindwing stronger; moreover typical nephelias has irregular longitudinal white streaks and blackish dashes on 
the hindwing beneath. 
X. helias Meyr. (24 k). This and some of the succeeding species have also, more or less, the costally 
elongate hindwing which should characterize Ortholitha , but it is obvious that the wing-shape alone is not suffi¬ 
cient to justify a separation, all intergradations occurring; attempts to divide the African “ Ortholitha ” from 
Xanthorhoe have not been successful and it seems useless to repeat them in connection with the New Zealand 
and Australian forms, helias is a rather glossy species, forewing pale yellowish, more deeply ochreous at the 
costa and termen of the forewing; median band darkening in its outer half; proximal subterminal shade darkened 
against the subterminal line. Hindwing ochreous tinged, generally rather bright. Underside reddish. Dunedin 
(loc. typ.) and the Hunter Mountains. 
X. aphelias nom. nov. (= obscura Philpott, nec Butt.) (24 i) was published as a race of helias , with the 
comment, “I shvuld not hesitate to accord this form specific rank but for the fact that some of the specimens, 
by loss of the fuscous colouring, approach the typical helias” . Later (in 1926) Philpott wrate me “I now con¬ 
sider it to be quite worthy of specific rank”. As “ Scotocoremia ” obscura Butt. (1882) at present stands in Xantho¬ 
rhoe, a new r name is required for this. Forewing dull fuscous, shading to ochreous along the costa. Hindwing 
with the postmedian (dark, edged distally with white) conspicuous. Underside much as in helias, with darker 
suffusions. The Hump (Waiau, Southland), the $ fairly common in a damp scrub-filled gully, late in February. 
Only one 9 was taken and this is remarkable in having both wings much narrowed. 
X. frivola Meyr., a single from Invercargill, may conceivably be a remarkable aberration of helias, 
with which it seems to agree in structure: palpus scarcely over 2 (Meyrick gives “2%”), pectinations 
about 6 (outer series) and 4 (inner series). Small, unusually pale, the median area of the forewing narrowed, 
its boundary lines and the cell-dot strong, all the other markings shadowy. Underside (as always in helias) 
more suffused with reddish than upperside. Antemedian line of forewing more curved than in normal helias, 
postmedian with the central projection sharper in front of the 1st median than behind it (in helias about equal 
i. e. bilobed). I have 2 worn Xanthorhoe from Nevis which look somewhat intermediate between this and helias. 
X. stricta Philpott (24 i). 38—39 mm. “Nearest to cataphracta but distinguished by the absence of the 
white fasciae and the somewhat longer antennal pectinations.” The postmedian line is merely sinuous, not 
angled, and the aberrations in which the many wavy lines are almost equal in expression (not forming definite 
bands) are slightly reminiscent of overgrown venipunctata. Bold Peak, Humboldt Range (loc. typ.) and Hunter 
Mountains at 3000 feet. 
