








34 VI—THE 
having been taken at Hampstead, the well-known suburb 
of London. Subsequently it transpired that the specimen in 
question was no doubt of foreign origin, its ‘‘appearance’’ 
having been due to a practical joke perpetrated on the 
British Lepidopterists of the day. 
Genus 3.—VANESSA, Fabr. 
Eyes hairy. Club of antennae abrupt. Fore-wings with vein 
10 separate. Hind-wings with transverse vein present. 
A moderate genus, principally characteristic of the 
Northern Hemisphere. Larva with six or seven rows of 
bristly spines. Pupa with angular prominenees, often with 
volden metallic spots. 
Of this very beautiful and interesting genus we have 
three species in New Zealand. 
VANESSA GONERILLA. 
(Papilio gonerilla, Fabricus, Syst. Ent. p. 498, n. 237 (1775); 
Donovan, Ins. New Holland, pl. 25, fig. 2 (1805). Vanessa goncr- 
illa, White in Taylor’s New Zealand, pl. 2, fig. 1 (1855).) 
(Plate IV., fig. 9 @, 2 under-side; Frontispiece, fig. 1 egg; Plate 
I., figs. 11-13 larvae, 14 pupa; Plate V., fig. 31 under-side 
Chatham Island form.) 
This handsome insect is the most familiar of New 
Zealand butterflies. It is very common and generally dis- 
tributed throughout the country. 
The expansion of the wings varies from about 23% to 23 
inches. Above, all the wings are black, becoming bronzy towards 
the body. The fore-wings have a band of dark red nearly across 
the middle, and a series of three small blue spots, and three 
larger white spots near the apex. The hind-wings have a broad 
dark red band near the termen, containing two pairs of black 
spots with blue centres. On the under-side the fore-wings are 
dark brown, with a broad patch of red in the middle, and a 
very conspicuous eye-like mark on the costa, consisting of a 
black central spot surrounded by a blue ring, and encircled by 
a yellow crescent towards the termen. The hind-wings are 
brownish-grey, with many darker and paler markings; the four 
spots on the upper surface are faintly indicated on the under- 
side by blackish rings and central dots; the colouring of the 
under-side varies a good deal. It is considerably darker and 
duller in some specimens than in others. 
The egg, which is deposited upright, singly on the under- 
side of a nettle-leaf is barrel-shaped, ornamented with a series 
of nine prominent longitudinal ribs meeting in a central spot on 
the top; there are numerous fine, transverse, striae between the 
ribs. It is dark green, with the ribs white. The young larva, 
when hatiched, is dusky-yellow, with the spines black. In about 
a week it moults for the first time, and is then of an almost 
uniform brown, with the lateral lines faintly indicated. Ten 
days later it again sheds its skin, after which time the white 
lateral markings are considerably stronger. The length of the 
full-grown larva is about 1% inches; its general colour varies 
from black to brown or pale reddish-brown with the ventral sur- 
face green and the whole surface closely freckled with numerous 
minute, dull, whitish dots; there is a rather fine, broken, white 
sub-dorsal line; a broad rather wavy white lateral line with a 
fainter broken line above it; on the third and fourth segments 
there are four spines; on the fifth to twelfth seven spines and 
on the thirteenth four spines; the spines vary from pale green 
to black; the larva is considerably attenuated ai! each end, its 
central portions being somewhat swollen. 
BUTTERFLIES, 
This caterpillar constructs for itself a small tent by 
fastening together several of the leaves of its food-plant. 
In this dwelling it can feed, safely concealed from all 
enemies. There are two kinds of nettles constituting the 
food of this insect—one a small plant, which generally 
erows in little patches amongst ferns in the forest (Urtica 
incisa), the other a large shrub or tree often found in 
rather open situations (Urtica ferox). The shrub is easily 
recognised by the formidable array of long, white spines 
which project from the midrib of each leaf. The larvae of 
V. gonerilla are much more easily collected on the tree 
nettle than on the dwarf species; their leafy tents being 
easily detected by an examination of the foliage. When 
once discovered the larvae are best’ obtained by cutting off, 
with a pair of strong scissors, the leaves which form their 
habitations. Like most larvae of the genus Vanessa, these 
caterpillars are extremely voracious and soon eat them- 
selves out of house and home. Those feeding on the tree 
nettle have an unlimited supply of leaves available both 
for food and shelter, but in the ease of larvae, which are 
dependent on the dwarf nettle for their supplies, no doubt 
individuals must occasionally die of starvation, as we some- 
times observe large patches of the Urtica incisa completely 
destroyed by the larvae of this butterfly. These larvae 
may sometimes be found in the late autumn or winter, and 
are often common as early as the middle of September, 
continuing abundant until the middle or end of February. 
When full grown, this caterpillar suspends itself by 
the tail to a little patch of silk, which it has spun on the 
under side of a leaf, having also drawn two or three other 
leaves around it in the same way as the feeding larva. In 
this situation it hangs, with the head and three anterior 
segments slightly curved upwards, for nearly twenty-four 
hours before the transformation to the pupa state occurs. 
I have often watched these larvae changing, and as their 
manoeuvres during the process exactly resemble those of 
Danaida plexippus a special description is unnecessary. 
The actual transformation may be easily observed in this 
species, as the larvae are common and can be obtained in 
large numbers. It is well worth watching, and if a good 
many specimens are kept at once, some of them are sure 
to change at a convenient time for observation. The pupa 
varies from pale yellowish-brown to dark purplish-brown, 
darker on the wing-cases and ventral surface. The spines 
on the back are golden. The whole insect is also speckled 
with brown or black dots. The pupa varies considerably 
in size as well as in colour. In this insect the pupa state 
is of very short duration, usually only lasting about a fort- 
night. Mr. Helms informed me that the pupa of Vanessa 
gonerilla is often destroyed by the common Hemipteron, 
Cermatulus nasalis, which penetrates its shell by means of 
its long rostrum, and speedily consumes the liquid internal 
portions. 
The perfect insect usually emerges early in the morn- 
It’ dries its wings for a few hours whilst resting on 
the old nettle-leaves which formed its home when a larva. 
ing. 
