CHARAGIA. By R. Pfitzner f and M. Gaede. 
831 
margin than the discal line, a small oblong spot at the margin itself between the veins; five blackish-brown 
spots at the costal margin from the centre of the cell to the discal line. Hindwing white, greenish at the 
margin. Forewing beneath feebly reddish behind the costal margin, greenish distally, white behind, costal 
margin green, with brown spots. Hind wing white, green costally and distally. body green, metanotum 
for the greatest part as well as the first three abdominal segments and the sides of the fourth red. Forewing 
above green, markings similar to those of the <$. Hindwing red, yellowish-green from the costal margin into 
the cell and at the margin, a red line extends from the anterior distal angle of the distinctly defined red 
area almost to the costal margin, a few small red spots are outside and inside this line. Wings beneath 
yellowish-green, red from the cell to the inner margin, both wings with distinct blackish-brown costal spots. 
Len gth of forewing: 27—33 mm, 9 40 mm. British New Guinea (Biagi). 
Ch. eugynoides Strd. (73a). Forewing greenish-yellow, undulated dark green; a slightly curved line eugynoides. 
of small coherent brown lunules from the centre of the inner margin to % of the costa. Brown costal spots and 
distal-marginal dots. Hindwing light red, margin broadly greenish-yellow. All the wings beneath reddish- 
yellow, mixed with greenish-yellow at the margins. Thorax greenish, abdomen reddish. From the d’Entre- 
casteaux Is. (Fergusson) and New Guinea. 
Ch. marginata Rotsch. <$ : Forewing bright yellowish grass-green, broadly cancellated with a darker marginaia. 
green; right above the centre a transverse band of seven luniform silvery spots, and slightly spotted brown 
at the costal margin. Distal margin with brown spots. Hindwing salmon-coloured with a green margin be¬ 
ginning from the centre of the abdominal margin, most extensive at the anal angle, gradually narrowing to¬ 
wards the costa. Under surface salmon-coloured with a green-spotted margin, costa brown, spotted green. 
Hindwing as in ramsayi-<$ (73 a), but shorter, broader, and more pointed at the apex. Green, watered red, 
basal part red, costa speckled green and brown. Head, frons, thorax dark green, mesothorax green, watered 
grey and with 2 brown spots, the rest of the thorax and abdomen as far as its half red, the rest green. 9 : 
fore wing from golden green to greenish golden very intensely cancellated dark green, often forming complete 
transverse lines; a broad median band from the inner margin almost to the costa, composed of round 
brown variable spots. Hind wing darker red than in the distal margin rather yellow. Under surface: 
forewing red, shaded yellow towards the distal margin; hindwing yellow, watered red in the cell. Abdomen 
as in the <$. Length of forewing: $ 37 mm, $ 60 mm. Kiriwini, Trobriand Is., March-April 1895. — misi- misimanus. 
manus Rothsch. band of hindwing considerably broader as far as the anterior angle. The band of the $ 
forewing is composed of 3 round brown spots, one behind the centre of the disc, two before it, and with 
a number of brown lines. St. Aignan (Misima), Lousiade Archipelago. August-November 1897. — saturatior saturatior. 
Rothsch. 9 - The dark green reticulation on the forewing is more prominent. The distal chocolate brown 
band is more complete. The red places on the hindwing are darker, the marginal band narrower, less distinct. 
$ 117 mm. Dutch New Guinea. 
Ch. virescens DM. (74 a). This large and peculiar species is endemic in New Zealand, where it is con- virescens. 
fined to the northern island. <$: forewing green with a white oblicpie line of spots, hindwing white, greenish 
at the margin, $ very variable. — The form hectori Btlr. (76 a) has dark green forewings with dark brown hectori. 
transverse lines, and dull brown hindwings. — fischeri Fldr. (78 c) is a feebly marked hectori , the black spot- fischcri. 
ting is only present at the costal and distal margins. The yellow places, however, are much less conspicuous 
than in the figure. — The form rubroviridans White has bright green forewings with reduced macular markings, rubroviri- 
the hindwing is red with a broad green distal part. Numerous transitions between the two forms. Size: 100 (G) dans. 
to 150 ( 9 ) mm. Sometimes freshly emerged specimens which have surely not suffered from dampness are 
hrown instead of green. The biology is rather well known, chiefly by Hudson. The 9 lays an enormous 
number of diminutive round yellowish eggs at random. The young larva must creep along the soil and find 
its way to the trunk in which it lives. It is rather polyphagous, for instance on Aristotelia ramosa, Lepto- 
spermum ericoides (manuka), Astelia solandri (Ki-ki), Olea apetela, Aleotrice excelsum (Titoki). The larva 
easily bores itself into the wood with its strong trophi; the channel dug by it in the trunk of the tree has 
inside a small inconspicuous opening, closed with webs and leavings that are glued together. Behind this 
closure which is not easy to open the real feeding channel only begins, in which the larva is protected from 
predatory insects. The full-grown larva has a length of up to 75 mm; it is rather uniformly thick and dark 
yellow. Head large, dark brown. The very large stigmata near the posterior edges of the segments, a dull 
hlack spot a little above them. Each segment has two horny plates on the dorsum and two similar ones 
on both sides below the stigmata. The body is scantily covered with yellow and black bristles. In some 
specimens the space between the horny plates is dull pimple. Young specimens have a more olive green 
colour. The pupa, up to 60 mm long, is thinner and dull reddish-yellow. Head and dorsum of thorax dark 
hrown. Small hooks on the abdominal segments. Before the emergence, the pupa works its way out of the 
opening of the tunnel with more than half its body. The imago appears in October and November. Although 
it is common, it is rarely seen. The specimens in the collections are obtained by breeding. A very interest¬ 
ing piece of wood on which the insect was feeding, together with a prepared larva, is in the British Mu¬ 
seum (South Kensington). As the lepidopteron flies to the light, it sometimes gets into houses, almost the 
only opportunity when the species is captured as an imago. 
