





70 IX.—THE 
ish-green dots between the veins near the termen; the termen 
itself is slightly indented, the cilia are reddish-brown. The hind- 
wings are greyish-brown with the cilia reddish. There are two 
very conspicuous curved brown and yellowish green stripes on 
each side of the thorax. 
The perfect insect appears from September till March. 
It is a rare species. 
MELANCHRA DECORATA. 
(Melanchra decorata, Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xxxvii. 328, 
pla xx. 25) 
(Plate VIIL., fig. 5 2.) 
This species was discovered by Mr. Philpott at West 
Plains, near Invercargill, and is generally distributed 
throughout Otago. In the North Island it has been taken 
at Wanganui and Tokaanu. 
The expansion of the wings is 14 inches. The forewings 
are pale brownish-ochreous clouded with dark brown near the 
dorsum; there is a very irregular pale stripe below the dark 
brown which is bent sharply upwards before the tornus; a fine, 
very wavy, broken, brown longitudinal line above vein 1; the 
orbicular is very elliptical; the reniform is large, almost oval, 
both being outlined in brown; there is a cloudy brown shading 
connecting the orbicular and the reniform; except near the 
apex, the subterminal line is marked by a series of brown spots; 
most of the veins are indicated by faint brown and whitish lines. 
The hind-wings are ochreous, broadly clouded with greyish- 
brown towards the termen. The male usually has a slightly 
greenish tinge, absent in the female. The reniform in the female 
is almost white. 
This species somewhat resembles Melanchra diatmeta. 
The perfect insect appears from August, till March, 
and is taken at sugar. It is a rare species. 
MELANCHRA INFENSA. 
(Orthosia infensa, Walk., Cat. xi. 748; Morrisonia infensa, 
Hamps., Cat., v. 376, pl. lxxxvili. 27; Mamestra arachnias, 
Meyr.; Trans. N.Z. Inst., xix. 23.) 
. (Plate VIII., fig. 19 @.) 
This rather small reddish-brown species has occurred 
at Wanganui, Napier and Wellington in the North Island, 
and at Blenheim, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill 
in the South Island. 
The expansion of the wings is about 14 inches. The fore- 
wings are reddish-brown, slightly speckled with dull white except 
on a suffused central streak from the base to about two-thirds; 
an obscure, moderately broad white costal streak extends from 
the base to two-thirds; the orbicular is narrow oval, longitu- 
dinal, very finely margined with white ‘and then with brown; the 
claviform is obsolete; the reniform is only indicated by two 
white dots, representing its lower angles; the transverse lines 
are very acutely dentate but hardly traceable. 
According to Mr. Philpott, the larva of this insect 
closely resembles that of M. paracausta. 
The perfect insect appears from October till Decem- 
ber, and is attracted by sugar and light. 

NOCTUIDAE. 
MELANCHRA OMOPLACA. 
(Mamestra omoplaca, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst, xix. 24; Morrisonia 
omoplaca, Hamps., Cat., v. 382, pl. Ixxxix. 2; Melanchra 
wmbra, Huds., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xxxv. 248, pl. xxx. 7-9.) 
(Plate VIII. fig. 26, 27 @ varieties.) 
This very variable species has occurred at Wellington, 
Lake Coleridge, Moeraki, Dunedin, Queenstown, Ida Valley 
and Invereargill, but is not generally common. 
The expansion of the wings is about 1§ inches. The fore- 
wings of the male vary from pale-ochreous to dull reddish- 
ochreous or purplish-brown. The central portion of the wing is 
frequently more or less clouded with black, and there are often 
two black patches on the termen. The orbicular is oval, finely 
outlined in black; the reniform is large, black towards the base 
and pale towards the termen; the claviform is obscurely out 
lined in black; the transverse lines are usually very faintly 
indicated, except on the costa. The sides of the thorax are 
black and the central crest’ pale-brown. The hind-wings are 
dark brownish-grey. In the female the fore-wings are usually 
dull purplish-brown and the transverse lines distinct. 
As already indicated there 
especially in the male. 
is a great variation, 
The perfect insect appears from September till March, 
and is taken at sugar and blossoms. 
MELANCHRA ALCYONE. 
(Melanchra alcyone, Huds., N.Z. Moths, 24.) 
(Plate VIII., fig. 25 9.) 
This species has occurred at Wanganui and Welling- 
ton in. the North Island, and at Christchurch, Dunedin, 
Queenstown and Invereargill in the South Island. 
The expansion of the wings of the @ is 18 inches, 
of the @ 14 inches. The fore-wings of the male are warm brown, 
darker towards the base; there is a wavy, white-edged, black, 
transverse line at about one-fifth, followed by a round black 
spot; the costa is yellowish, with four pairs of short oblique 
black marks; the orbicular is large, oval, oblique, pale yellowish- 
brown slightly darker in the middle; the claviform is small, 
obscure, and brownish-black; the reniform is black, outlined with 
dull white; there is a series of very acute, dull white, tooth-like 
terminal markings, and the termen itself is slightly scalloped; 
the cilia are dark brown. The hind-wings are grey with a series 
of small dark marks on the termen; the cilia are reddish- 
ochreous. The head and anterior portion of the thorax are 
reddish-ochreous; the rest of the thorax is rich brown, and 
there is a conspicuous black transverse line between the pale 
and dark colouring; the abdomen is reddish-ochreous with the 
crests reddish-brown. The female is darker and duller than the 
male, the markings are less distinct, there are several additional 
jagged transverse lines, and the white markings of the male are - 
indistinctly indicated in drab. 
This species may be distinguished from all the varie- 
ties of M. omoplaca by the strongly dentate subterminal 
line. 
The perfect insect appears from August till May, but 
is very rarely met with. 
