IX.—THKE NOCTUIDAE. 
“The larva is extremely variable. Its usual colour is pale 
brown with a white dorsal line and several dark lines on each 
side. Young larvae closely resemble their food-plant in colour, 
and occasionally this is persistent throughout life. Feeds on 
various grasses.’’* 
The perfect insect first appears about January, and 
continues in increasing numbers until the middle or end 
of April. It is often met with at sugar. 
This species is of almost universal distribution, having 
occurred in Australia, Java, India, Europe, and North 
and South America. In England it is regarded as a great 
rarity. 
ALETIA FIBRATA., 
(Aletia fibrata, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xlv. 22.) 
(Plate VIL. fig. 25 @.) 
This obscure-looking species was discovered by Mr. F. 
G. Gibbs, on Mount Richmond, near Nelson, at an altitude 
of about 4,500 feet above the sea-level. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over 1$ inches. The 
fore-wings are pale grey speckled with darker grey, with blackish 
markings; there is an interrupted dentate basal line; the first 
line and stigmata are faintly indicated; the second line is very 
fine, strongly dentate, inwards-curved near the dorsum with the 
tips of the dentations marked by whitish-edged black points; 
there is a series of blackish terminal dots; the cilia are grey, 
faintly barred with darker grey. The hind-wings are ochreous- 
grey. The antennae of the male are strongly bipectinated. 
The perfect insect appears in December. 
ALETIA NULLIFERA. 
(Agrotis nullifera, Walk., Cat. ix. 742; Butl., Voy. Ereb., pl. ix. 5. 
Alysia specifica, Gn., Ent. Mo. Mag. v. 3. Leucania nulli- 
fera, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xix. 7.) 
(Plate VI., fig. 14 @.) 
This large but sombre-looking insect has oceurred in 
the North [sland at} Taupo and Wellington. In the South 
Island it has been taken commonly at Mount Arthur, near 
Nelson, and in the Christchurch, Otago and Southland 
districts. 
The expansion of the wings is from 24 to 2% inches. The 
fore-wings are uniform dull grey, with a double row of very 
faint white sub-verminal spots; the hind-wings, head, thoraz, 
and abdomen are pale grey. 
In some specimens the fore-wings are quite destitute of 
markings, whilst in others the ground colouring varies 
considerably, and is oceasionally dull brown instead of 
grey. Traces of transverse lines are also frequently 
present.. 
The larva is very stout, bright yellowish-brown, consider- 
ably paler on the under surface; the dorsal line is faintly indi- 
cated, the subdorsal and lateral lines are dull brown, with a 
chain of elongate white spots beneath each; the spiracles and 
dorsal surface of the posterior segments are black; there are 
also numerous white dots all over the larva. 
This caterpillar feeds on spear-grass (Aciphylla squar- 
rosa). It devours the soft, central portions of the 
““tussock,’’ and its presence can generally be detected by 

* Report of American Department’ of Agriculture, 1881, 93. 
or 
oO 
a quantity of pale brown ‘‘frass,’’ or discoloration, which 
is usually visible near the bases of the leaves. Owing to 
the formidable array of spines presented by the spear- 
grass, this larva can have but few enemies. The presence 
of these spines makes the insect a difficult one to obtain 
without special apparatus. A pair of strong, sharp 
scissors, however, will enable the collector to cut off a 
sufficient number of ‘‘spears’’ to allow of the insertion of 
a small trowel or hatchet under the root. The plant can 
then be lifted out of the ground, and the larva afterwards 
carefully extracted from its burrow in the stem. These 
larvae are full grown in the autumn or early winter, which 
is consequently the best time to obtain them for rearing. 
The pupa is enclosed in a very loose cocoon amongst the 
rubbish around the roots of the spear-grass. 
The moth appears from November till May. It is 
sometimes attracted by light. I have found it commonly 
on the Tableland of Mount Arthur at elevations of from 
3,500 to 4,000 feet above the sea-level, where its food-plant 
also flourishes. 
ALETIA MODERATA. 
(Agrotis moderata, Walk., Cat., xxxii. 705; Meyr., Trans. N.Z. 
Inst., xx. 45; Humichtis sistens, Gn., Ent. Mo. Mag., v. 39; 
Agrotis mitis Butl., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1877, 383, pl. 
xlii. 5; Leucania griseipennis, Huds., N.Z. Moths, 9.) 
(Plate VIL, fig. 15 4.) 
Although nowhere abundant this species seems to be 
generally distributed throughout both North and South 
Islands. 
The expansion of the wings is 14 inches. The fore-wings 
are dull greenish-grey; there are two obscure blackish transverse 
lines near the base and several dull white dots; a very conspicu- 
ous transverse curved black shade near the middle, followed by 
an extremely jagged dull black and white transverse line, with 
black and white dots where it crosses the veins; there is another 
less jagged transverse line near the termen; the orbicular is 
oval, pale, edged with black; the reniform and claviform are 
also pale but inconspicuous; the cilia are tinged with brown. 
The hind-wings are grey with the cilia wholly white. 
The perfect insect appears from November till 
March, and is usually taken singly, sometimes secreted in 
crevices under fallen logs. It has also been found in 
mountainous regions at altitudes of over 4,000 above the 
sea-level. 
There has been much confusion in the nomenclature 
of this and the following species, although the insects 
themselves are abundantly distinct. 
ALETIA GRISEIPENNIS. 
(Mamestra griseipennis, Feld., Reis. Nov. pl. cix. 22; Chera 
virescens, Butl., Cist. Ent. ii. 489.) 
(Plate VII., fig. 16 @; Plate 1, fig. 24 larva.) 
In the North Island this fine species is very common 
on Mount! Egmont, and has oceurred at Waiouru, and on 
Mount Ruapehu. It seems to be generally distributed 
throughout the South Island, and is extremely abundant 
on the lower slopes of Mount Aurum and Mount Earns- 

