ee PIT ens ae . — 

72 IX—THE NOCTUIDAE. 
The perfect insect appears from September till May, 
and occasionally during the winter. It is freely attracted 
by blossoms or sugar. Although rather rare in Wellington 
it seems to be fairly common and generally distributed in 
the South Island. 
MELANCHRA MEROPE. 
(Melanchra merope, Huds., N.Z. Moths, 19; Morrisonia chloro- 
grapta, Hamps., Ann, Mag. Nat. Hist. 1905, 452. Morri- 
sonia merope, ib., Cat. v. 612.) 
(Plate X., fig. 24 @.) 
This large and very striking insect has been taken at 
several localities near Wellington in the North Island, and 
at Waiho Gorge, Dunedin, Lake Wakatipu and Orepuki in 
the South Island, but is extremely irregular in its appear- 
ance. 
The expansion of the wings is nearly two inches. The fore- 
wings are rich chocolate-brown, with greenish-yellow markings 
outlined in very deep brown; there is a rather broad, broken 
basal line; the reniform is large, finely outlined with brown to- 
wards the base of the wing and half-filled in with greenish-yellow 
towards the termen; the second line is very jagged and much 
interrupted; there is a subterminal series of dark brown-edged 
yellow spots and a terminal series of brown dots, the termen 
itself being strongly scalloped; the cilia are dark brown. The 
hind-wings are brown, tinged with pink; there is an obscure 
terminal line; the cilia are brownish-pink. The head and thorax 
are dark brown, the abdomen pale brown, with the crests darker. 
The larva, according to Mr. Howes,* is slightly over 
14 inches in length, stout, dull olive green marked with 
black; there is a row of ochreous spots down the back and 
a series of lateral oblique lines and small dots; the spiracles 
are plainly indicated by black dots and the underside is 
pale ochreous. The foodplant is ribbon-wood (Gaya 
Lyallii). 
The perfect insect appears from October till April, and 
is attracted by sugar and blossoms. It is, however, a very 
rare species. 
MELANCHRA DOTATA. 
(Dasypolia dotata, Walk., Cat. xi. 522; Morrisonia dotata, Hamps., 
Cat., v. 380, pl. Ixxxviili. 31; Mamestra dotata, Meyr., Trans. 
N.Z. Inst., xix. 245) 
(Plate VIII., fig. 34 ¢@.) 
This very richly-coloured insect has occurred near 
Rangataua in the North Island. In the South Island it 
has been taken at Nelson, on Ben Lomond and the Lake 
Harris Track, near Lake Wakatipu, and at Orepuki. 
The expansion of the wings is 14 inches. The fore-wings 
are very dark brownish-black; there are several obscure black 
marks near the base; the orbicular is large, irregularly oblong, 
finely margined with black, the claviform is triangular, also 
finely margined with black, both orbicular and claviform are 
surrounded by a conspicuous black shading; the reniform is 
large ear-shaped, white towards the termen and dark brown 
towards the base of the wing, the white portion is traversed by 
a curved brownish line; there is a curved subterminal line, the 

*Trans. N.Z. Inst., xlvi. 97. 
space immediately inside this being paler than the rest of the 
wing and a terminal series of obscure pale dots. The hind-wings 
are greyish-black, paler towards the base. 
The perfect insect appears from October till April, 
but is very rarely met with. It has been found in sub- 
alpine forests at an elevation of about 3,000 feet above 
the sea-level. 
MELANCHRA ASTEROPE. 
(Melanchra asterope, Huds., N.Z. Moths, 24.) 
(Plate viii., fig. 30 @.) 
This species, which is closely allied to Melanchra 
dotata, has occurred on the Tableland of Mount Arthur, 
on Mount Richmond near Pelorus Sound, Bold Peak, and 
the Routeburn Valley, near Lake Wakatipu. 
The expansion of the wings is 1g inches. The fore-wings 
are dull brown with a pale area on the dorsum near the base, 
and a very broad pale subterminal band; there is a broken black- 
edged transverse line near the base, and a fainter transverse 
line at about one-third; the orbicular is oval, the claviform coni- 
cal, and the reniform whitish, and very conspicuous; all are 
strongly outlined in black; there is a shaded transverse line 
on each side of the broad subterminal band; the termen is 
broadly-edged with dark brown; the cilia are brown, and the 
veins are marked in black. The hind-wings are pale grey; 
there is a rather conspicuous lunule and two shaded, transverse 
lines; the cilia are grey. 
The perfect insect appears in December and January, 
and is attracted by sugar and light. It seems to frequent 
mixed forest and open country, at altitudes ranging from 
2,500 to about 4,000 feet above the sea-level. 
MELANCHRA TARTAREA. 
(Graphiphora tartarea, Butl., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1877, 384, 
pl. xlii. 2; Mamestra tartarea, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 
xix. 21; Morrisonia tartarea,- Hamps., Cat., v. 381, pl. 
Ibo-0:96:% 11) 
(Plate VIII., fig. 32 @, 33 variety.) 
This very distinetly-marked species has occurred on 
the Murimutu Plains in the North Island, and at Christ- 
church, Dunedin and Invercargill in the South Island. 
The expansion of the wings is 14 inches. The fore-wings, 
which have the termen. slightly scalloped, are very deep choco- 
late-brown with very pale brown markings; the transverse lines 
are fairly distinct, dark margined; the claviform is small, coni- 
cal, dark brown margined with black; the orbicular and reniform 
are large outlined in pale brown, the anterior portion of the 
reniform being filled in with pale brown; there is a broad, pale 
brown terminal band and a narrow streak of pale brown along 
the dorsum. The hind-wings are grey with the cilia pale brown. 
A variety occurs in which the central area of the fore- 
wings is more or less clouded with reddish-brown, with 
dark brown patches around and below. the reniform, and 
in this form the pale brown terminal band is much less 
conspicuous than usual. ; 
The egg is about three hundredths of an inch in diameter, 
round, bright green, somewhat flattened underneath; the micro- 
pyle is distinct; there is a series of ribs meeting at the micropyle, 
each alternate rib being shorter than the others; between each 
of the ribs there are numbers of very fine flutings. 

