X.—THE GHOMETRIDAEL. 107 
This seems to be borne out by the fact that the insect is 
increasing in flax areas which have been drained, and this 
circumstance causes flax growers some concern.* 
The perfect insect appears from November till Feb- 
ruary, and is attracted by light. Owing to its white colour- 
ing the female is very conspicuous at evening dusk and is 
then readily captured. In the daytime, however, she 
retreats amongst the lower portions of the leaf-blades of 
the flax, and hence can seldom be obtained, but the male 
may generally be dislodged by vigorous beating and is 
easily caught as he flies out of the flax bush. It seems 
likely that there are at least two broods of this inseet in 
the year. 
ORTHOCLYDON PSEUDOSTINARIA. 
(Xanthorhoe pseudostinaria, Huds., Ent. Mo. Mag. liv., 61.) 
(Plater Viatie 12 ee) 
This very beautiful and distinetly-marked species was 
discovered at Otira. It has since oceurred on the Gouland 
Downs, near Nelson, at an altitude of about 4,000 feet 
above the sea-level, and at Nelson, Mount Grey and White 
Rock, North Canterbury. 
The expansion of the wings is 14 inches. The fore-wings 
are rather broad with the apex very slightly projecting, and the 
termen slightly bowed; cream-coloured with bright brown mark- 
ings; there is a narrow line along the costa; a faint slightly 
curved line on the inner edge of the median band; a 
small blackish dot; a straight oblique very strongly-marked 
line from near the apex to the dorsum at three-quarters, 
and a very faint wavy subterminal line; a dark brown terminal 
line is situated below the apex, where the cilia are also dark 
brown. The hind-wings are cream-coloured with a conspicuous 
brown line across the middle, and very faint traces of one basal 
and two subterminal lines. Except as above indicated the cilia 
of all the wings are cream-coloured. 
The perfect insect appears in December and frequents 
forest. It is evidently a very rare species. 
ORTHOCLYDON CHLORIAS. 
(Larentia chlorias, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi., 80; Venusia 
princeps, Huds., ib., xxxv., 244, pl. xxx., 1.) 
(Plate XLIX., fig. 1 4, 2 9; Plate XIV., fig. 46 @ variety.) 
This very beautiful species was discovered by Mr. 
Meyrick at Castle Hill on the West Coast Road of the 
South Island. It has also occurred on Mount Hector, 
Tararua Range, North Island, on the Dun Mountain Track, 
near Nelson, and at Dunedin. 
The expansion of the wings of the male is 14 inches; of 
the female 14 inches. The fore-wings of the male are bright- 
yellow, with purplish-orange-brown markings. There is a shad- 
ing on the costa near the base; three dots at about 4; a large 
irregular somewhat triangular marking near the apex, and two 
rows of dots on the subterminal area. The hind-wings are pale 
yellow, with three rows of dots. The head is yellow; the thorax 
is also yellow, with an anterior band of reddish-brown; and the 
abdomen is pale yellow. The antennae are strongly bipectinated, 
white, dotted with pale-brown. 

*For an account of this insect, from the economic standpoint, 
see N.Z. Journal of Agriculture, July, 1917, and October, 1918. 
The female has the fore-wings deep orange-yellow with four 
transverse lines of dots, confluent on the costa; the hind-wings 
are paler with three rows of dots as in the male. 
The dots on both fore- and hind-wings appear to vary 
in size. <A very beautiful variety of the male, with the 
dots greatly enlarged, is figured on Plate XIV., fig. 46. 
The perfect insect appears in January and February, 
and may be looked for in beech forests, or amongst Draco- 
phylum, at about 2,500 feet above the sea-level. It is an 
extremely rare species. 
I am indebted to Messrs. Clarke and Sunley for the 
opportunity of figuring this beautiful insect. 
Genus 12—ASAPHODKS, Meyr. 
Face with cone of projecting scales. Palpi moderate, rough- 
scaled. Antennae in ¢ bipectinated, apex simple. Fore-wings: 
areole simple. -Hind-wings normal. 
(Plate C., figs. 35, 36 neuration of Asaphodes megaspilata.) 
An endemic genus containing five species. 
ASAPHODES STEPHANITIS. 
(Asaphodes stephanitis, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xxxix., 107.) 
(Plate XIII., fig. 21 9.) 
This brightly-marked little insect was discovered by 
Mr. Philpott at Invercargill. 
The expansion of the wings is about 1 inch. The fore-wings 
are ochreous with black and white markings, the white markings 
becoming obsolete on the costa; there are indistinct blackish and 
white lines at the base; the median band is margined with two 
wavy white lines; the outer one is broad, very conspicuous with 
a strong projection above the middle; within the median band 
there are four wavy blackish lines; two irregular blackish lines 
are situated on the subterminal area followed by a very fine 
regularly-waved subterminal line; there is a broad black bar 
below the apical patch and a very fine blackish terminal line. 
The hind-wings are ochreous, with a very fine blackish terminal 
line. . The cilia of all the wings are white barred with blackish. 
This species has a striking superficial resemblance to 
a diminutive specimen of Xanthorhoe clarata. 
The perfect insect appears from January till March, 
and frequents sand-hills near the sea-beach. It is attracted 
by ragwort blossoms. 
Described and figured from specimens kindly given 
to me by Mr. Philpott. 
ASAPHODES ABROGATA. 
(Aspilates abrogata, Walk., Cat. xxiv., 1075. Hidonia (?) servu- 
laria, Gn., HE. M. M. v., 48. Thyone abrogata, Meyr., Trans. 
N.Z. Inst. xvi., 61. Asaphodes abrogata, Meyr., ib. xviii., 
184.) 
(Plate XIII., fig. 19 &@, 20 9.) 
This species has occurred at Murimutu in the North 
Island; and in the South Island at Kekerangu, Christ- 
church, Castle Hill, Dunedin, and Invercargill. 
The expansion of the wings is about 1 inch. All the wings 
are ochreous with pale brown markings. The fore-wings have a 
conspicuous dot in the middle, a fine wavy transverse line a little 
y 2 

