IX.—THE NOCTUIDAE. 83 
Represented in New Zealand by a single very wide- 
ranging species, found in Africa, south of about 15° N., 
St. Helena, Ascension, Sokotra, Aden, Madagascar, India, 
Ceylon, Assam, Burma, South China, Formosa, Japan, 
throughout the Indo-Malayan and Australian regions, Mar- 
quesas, Fiji, Samoa.* 
COSMOPHILA FLAVA. 
(Noctua flava, Fabr. Syst. Ent., 601 (1775); Noctua stigmatizans, 
ib. 601; Cosmophila indica, Guen., Noct., ii. 396; Cirroedia 
variolosa, Walk., Cat., xi. 750; C. edentata, ib., 750; Cos- 
mophila aurantiaca, Prittwitz., Stett. Ent. Zeit., xxviii. 
277.) 
(Plate IX., fig. 28 9.) 
This bright-looking little species was first detected in 
New Zealand by Mr. E. S. West, at Otahuhu, near Auck- 
land, in 1907. A seeond specimen was found by Mr. W. 
G. Howes, at Wellington, some three years later. 

*On some species of the genus Cosmophila, by W. H. T. Tams, 
Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1924, 21. 
The expansion of the wings of the male is 14 inches; of 
the female 14 inches. The fore-wings, which have the termen 
rather deeply indented below the apex and prominent above 
middle, are bright orange-yellow finely speckled with brown (red- 
der in the male) ; the transverse lines are slender, distinct, deep 
brown; a rather irregular line at base; first line from 4 of costa 
to 4 of dorsum, forming a large loop with a line running 'upwards 
to the reniform stigma, thence running outwards and up to costa 
as the second line; orbicular stigma very small, pale centred 
ringed with brown; reniform stigma cloudy, obscure blackish- 
grey, margined with brown towards base and termen; a broad, 
dusky purple subterminal band, in male much darker towards 
costa and termen; other portions of outer half of wing somewhat 
suffused with dusky brown, cilia dusky brownish-yellow, tipped 
with white. The hind-wings are pale ochreous, clouded with 
brown towards termen, paler in the male; the terminal cilia are 
brown and the dorsal cilia ochreous. 
The perfect insect appears from January until March. 
In view of its extremely wide range, given under the 
generic heading, its occurrence in New Zealand is not sur- 
prising. 
Described and figured from the specimen kindly lent 
to me by Mr. West. 

