








60 
dull white in colour, faintly 
The lateral line is somewhat 
narrow, but fairly well marked; 
edged with red or reddish brown. 
indistinct, white in colour. On it are situated the spiracles, 
which are dull cream-colour edged with black.. The lateral line 
is often edged with small brown blotches situai'led above the 
spiracles, and on the anterior segments these blotches are some- 
times joined to form a broad, faintly marked upward edging to 
the lateral line. The integument, especially on the dorsal sur- 
face, has a number of fine white branching veins, and on each 
segment is a number of minute black dots from which spring 
short brown bristles. The prolegs are of the same colour as the 
body, edged with dark-brown hooks. The head is horny, amber 
in colour, mottled and netted with brown. 
The food plant is toe-toe grass (Arundo conspicua), 
the larva feeding by night, but secreting itself at the bases 
of the leaves during the day time, where it is well pro- 
tected from enemies. 
When about to change into a pupa this insect makes 
its way into the flower stem eating through the soft interior _ 
and forming a chamber 2 in. or 3 in. long between two 
joints. It now loses its green colour, and changes to a 
pale dull brownish-yellow, the dorsal surface often strongly 
tinged with pink. This pink tinge becomes very marked 
as the time of pupation approaches. The larva spends 
some weeks in the stem, and before changing to a pupa 
cuts a neat round hole through the stem, near the top of 
its chamber, leaving only a very thin film of the outermost 
layer intact. It then retires to the bottom of the chamber, 
and in a few days changes to a pupa, which rests on the 
old larval skin, head upwards. 
The pupa is very robust, and is at first ight brown in 
colour, but soon becomes very dark brown and_ highly 
polished. 
After about six weeks the imago emerges, and, break- 
ing its way through the thin film covering the exit from 
its chamber, crawls out and clings to the stem till its wings 
have expanded and hardened sufficiently for it to fly, The 
emergence usually takes place between 7 and 9 o’clock in 
the evening. 
The perfect insect appears from October till Mareh. 
It is very sluggish in its habits and consequently rarely 
observed. The eggs are deposited in the summer, or 
autumn, the larvae feeding up during the winter and early 
spring. 
Described and figured from specimens kindly given to 
me by Mr. Sunley, to whom I am also indebted for the 
interesting life history. 
Genus 13—PERSECTANIA, Hamps. 
Face with slight rounded or sub-truncate prominence with 
ridge below it. Antennae in male ciliated, or bipectinated, with 
apex simple. Thorax clothed with hair and hair-seales, with 
anterior and posterior crests. Abdomen with crest on basal seg- 
ment. 
We have eight species in New Zealand. 
IX—THE NOCTUIDAE. 
PERSECTANIA DISJUNGENS. 
(Heliophobus disjungens, Walk., Cat. xv., 1681; Butl., Voy. Ereb., 
pl. ix. 3. Hadena nervata, Gn., Ent. Mo. Mag. v. 40. 
Mamestra disjungens, Meyy., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xix. 15.) 
(Plate VII., fig. 23 9.) 
This very clearly-marked species has occurred at Wai- 
marino, Waiouru and Ohakune in the central region of 
the North Island, and at Rakaia, Ashburton, Dunedin, 
Wedderburn, Waipori, Lake Wakatipu and Tuturau 
(Mataura), in the South Island. 
The expansion of the wings is about 14 inches. The fore- 
wings are brownish-grey; the veins are very conspicuously 
marked in white, the orbicular and reniform are large, white, 
each with a dusky centre; there is a conspicuous, white, sub- 
terminal line, emitting two white, tooth-like projections on veins 
3 and 4, and connected with a longitudinal line running to the 
base of the wing. The hind-wings are grey with the cilia white. 
The perfect insect appears from November till Jan- 
uary, ascending to 5,500 feet above the sea-level. Although 
formerly a common species near Rakaia, it is, generally 
speaking, a rare insect. I have observed that specimens 
from the South Island are slightly paler in colour than 
those from the North Island. 
PERSECTANIA STEROPASTIS. 
(Mamestra steropastis, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst, xix. 22.) 
(Plate VIL. fig. 24 9; Plate I., fig. 28 larva.) 
This insect has occurred in the North Island at 
Thames, Wanganui, Waimarino, Napier, Ohakune and Mt. 
Hector, Tararua Range. In the South Island it has been 
taken at Blenheim, Takaka, Christchurch, Dunedin and 
Invereargill, but does not seem to be a common species 
anywhere. 
The expansion of the wings is from 1} to 14 inches. In 
general appearance it resembles the next species, from which it 
may chiefly be distinguished by the absence of the sharp white 
central line and conspicuous tooth-like markings near the ter- 
men. There is also a minute white dot situated at the junction 
of veins 3 and 4 of the fore-wings. The hind-wings are dark 
grey. 
The larva, which feeds on the toe-toe grass (Arundo con- 
spicua) and flax (Phormium tenaa) is about 1% inches in length, 
of almost uniform thickness, considerably flattened; the head is 
ochreous, the body very pale ochreous-brown; there are no dis- 
tinct markings on the thoracic segments, except a few minute 
black dots round the middle of each; the rest of the body is 
covered with a number of very fine blackish lines, which become 
darker posteriorly, and are stronger on the dorsal and lateral 
regions; there is a row of minute black dots round the middle 
of each segment; the spiracles are black and the underside of 
the larva is faintly tinged with green. 
During the day the larvae hide away in the old sheaths 
at the base of the plants, coming out after dark and feed- 
ing along the margin of the leaves, in which they eut deep 
V-shaped incisions. . 
The perfect mseet appears from November till March. 
I am indebted to Mr. Philpott for specimens of the larva. 
