IIT—HABITS AND DISTRIBUTION OF N.Z. LEPIDOPTERA. 15 
rest with closed wings on rocks or tree-trunks, imme 
diately taking wing when approached and flying with con- 
siderable rapidity. The gem-like insects included in the 
genus Diptychophora frequent forests. The larve of 
Diptychophora and Scoparia feed on mosses; of Crambus 
on grasses. These three genera must be regarded as highly 
characteristic of the New Zealand fauna, and will be 
specially referred to later on. Setting aside Crambus, 
Scoparia, Diptychophora, and their allies, it may be safely 
said that the remainder of the Pyralidae represent the re- 
sults of accidental wind-borne immigration, over a wide sea, 
and as many of the Pyrales are known to be great travel- 
lers, these stragglers might reasonably have been more 
numerous than we now find them. 
The lovely Plume moths included in the family 
Pterophoridae (Plate XXIII) fly freely at evening dusk, 
the white species being very conspicuous at that time. They 
also take wing very readily by day, if the plants amongst 
which they are resting are in any way disturbed. The 
common White Plume (Alucita monospilalis) is very con- 
spicuous when at rest, bearing a close resemblance to the 
letter T; the anterior wings are ‘stretched out at right 
angles and conceal the hind wings, which appear narrower 
than they really are from being partially folded, and the 
legs being brought down close to the body, escape observa- 
tion at a first glance. Although these exquisite insects are 
found in nearly every part of the world they are nowhere 
very numerous. 
Morova subfasciata (Plate XXIV., figs. 25, 26), the 
single representative of the interesting family Thyrididae, 
flies in hot sunshine with great activity. This family is 
generally supposed to represent the ancestors of the butter- 
flies, and is much more numerous in tropical countries. 
The larve of the remarkable insects comprised in the 
family Psychidae (Plate XLIV., figs. 9 and 14), of which 
there are two species in New Zealand, construct portable 
eases, which they carry about with them all their lives, and 
in which they change into the pupa state. The males are 
extremely active, and when reared in captivity will speedily 
knock themselves to pieces, unless promptly killed after 
emergence. The females are, however, completely helpless, 
and never leave the case they inhabited whilst a larva. 
Most of the Tortrices (Plates XXII, XXIV.— 
XXVII.) take wing in the late afternoon or evening, a few 
only, principally the mountain species of MHurythecta, 
Epichorista, Gelophaula, and Cnephasia, flying rapidly in 
hot sunshine. Many are sluggish in habit, and are found 
resting on the leaves or stems of plants. When disturbed 
most of the Tortrices drop to the ground, and conceal them- 
selves amongst dead leaves and other refuse, their general 
brown colouring greatly assisting them in obtaining the 
desired concealment. The New Zealand species of this ex- 
tensive family are not numerous, but are extremely variable. 
The larve are polyphagous, and from the change of en- 
vironment which is constantly taking place owing to the 
extension of settlement, it has been suggested that careful 
observation may detect the evolution of new species. The 
Tortrices show a more marked affinity with Australian 
forms than most of the other tribes of New Zealand Lepid- 
optera. 
In the extensive family of Tineidae (Plates XXV., 
XXVII.—XL. and XLVI.) we have a very numerous as- 
semblage of species, usually small in size, but most diverse 
in habits, and frequently of gorgeous appearance. The 
members of the genus Gelechia and its allies sometimes fly 
in warm sunny glades, during the late afternoon, but are 
not freely on the wing until after dark. The species of 
Elachista take short rapid flights amongst grass, in the late 
afternoon sunshine, when the pairing of the sexes occurs. 
The numerous obscurely-coloured species comprised in the 
venus Borkhausena are nearly all very sluggish insects 
and fly by day only when disturbed, but a few such as 
B. siderodeta and B. chrysogramma are active sun-loving 
insects. The glorious little Compsistis bifaciella swarms 
amongst Rangiora (Brachyglottis repanda) during Novem- 
ber and December, delighting to bask on leaves in the 
hottest sunshine, when its gem-like colouring is seen to full 
advantage. Gymnobathra appears in late summer and 
autumn, and the species approximate in colouring to dead 
leaves, but an interesting exception occurs in the ease of 
G. omphalota which is black with whitish markings and 
flies in hot sunshine. The species comprised in the genera 
Trachypepla, Izatha, and their allies are protectively 
coloured, most of the patterns resembling lichens or mosses, 
the insects resting quietly on tree-trunks during the day- 
time, where they are very difficult to discover. Most of 
the females of the genus Atomotricha have rudimentary 
wings, and must be looked for on paling fences after dark. 
They appear during the most inclement time of the year, 
ie., in July, August, and September, and, when seen in 
lamp-light, they have a strong superficial resemblance to 
spiders. The males are found at the same time, but owing 
to the low temperatures then prevailing do not readily fly. 
Cryptolechia and Proteodes include sluggish insects, which 
only take wing when disturbed, and even then drop to the 
ground almost immediately, and hide amongst dead leaves, 
where their protective colouring enables them to success- 
fully escape detection. The beautiful greenish-white 
Nymphostola galactina has similar habits, except that its 
white wings clearly imitate the fallen petals of the flowers 
of its food-plant (Myrtus bullata). All these genera and 
their allies, constituting the sub-family Oecophorides, em- 
brace that portion of the Tineidae most characteristic of the 
New Zealand fauna. The beautiful little moths comprised 
in the genus Stathmopoda have a peculiar habit of resting 
with either one or both of their hind-legs elevated in the air. 
Although not day-fliers they take wing on the slightest dis- 
turbance. Helostibes, as the name implies, includes sun- 
loving species which fly with great rapidity over the tops of 
brushwood in the hottest sunshine and are most active near 
the middle of the day. The single other species of this 
essentially New Zealand genus hails from South America. 

