
110 
The perfect insect appears from November till April. 
It chiefly frequents light forest or scrub, but is not a 
common. species. 
XANTHORHOEH OROPHYLOIDES. 
orophyloides,. Huds., Sub. Ant. Islds. of N.Z. 68, 
pl. ii., 12.) 
(Plate XIII., fig. 38 @.) 
(Xanthorhoe 
This rather inconspicuous species was discovered by 
Captain Dorrien-Smith at the head of the north arm of 
Carnley Harbour, Auckland Island, during the visit of the 
scientific expedition in November, 1907. It has also 
occurred on Campbell Island. 
The expansion of the wings is 14 inches. The fore-wings are 
rather narrow, with the apex somewhat acute, and the termen 
slightly curved oblique, pale bluish-grey with brownish-grey 
markings; a rather faint transverse line at about 4 strongly 
marked on the cell by a cloudy wedge-shaped mark; a stronger 
transverse line at three-quarters well marked by a series of dark 
marks on each of the veins, those nearest the cell being’ con- 
siderably larger than the rest; a fairly distinct terminal shading 
of dark grey and a large wedge-shaped pale apical patch; the 
median band generally is paler and browner than the rest of 
the wing. The hind-wings are pale grey. The cilia are greyish- 
white, with a few brownish-black scales only. 
This species is very closely allied to Xanthorhoe 
orophyla and X. rosearia, but may be easily separated 
from either by its narrower wings. 
XANTHORHOE OROPHYLA. 
(Epyara orophyla, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi., 71.) 
(Plate XIII., fig. 22 @, 23 9.) 
This fine species has occurred in the South Island at 
Nelson, Castle Hill, Mount Hutt, Mount. Cook, Dunedin, 
Central Otago, and Lake Wakatipu. 
The expansion of the wings is about 14 inches. The fore- 
wings of the male are pale grey or brownish-grey; there are 
several blackish lines near the base, a moderately broad median 
band bounded by very distinct shaded blackish lines, the lines 
nearest the base being almost straight; the termen is shaded 
with darker grey, and there is an oblique pale apical patch. The 
hind-wings are pale grey tinged with ochreous. 
The female is slightly darker than the male; there are 
numerous wavy pale and dark grey lines filling up the entire 
wing on each side of the median band, and the principal veins 
are marked in ochreous. 
The perfect insect appears in December, January, and 
February. It frequents open country on the mountain 
sides, at elevations of from 2,500 to 4,000 feet, and is often 
very common where there is a luxuriant growth of low- 
erowing alpine plants. It seems to be specially attached 
to the mountains in the extreme south of New Zealand. 
XANTHORHOE SEMIFISSATA. 
(Coremia semifissata, Walk., Cat. xxv., 1320; Coremia ypsilonaria, 
Guen., E. M. M. v., 64; Cidaria delicatulata, ib., 94; Hpyara 
semifissata, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi., 72.) 
(Plate XIII., fig. 47 &, 48 9.) 
This extremely pretty insect’ is very common, and 
generally distributed throughout the country, and has 
occurred in the Chatham Islands. 


= Se ea 
Refle)-* Ce ae 
X—THE GEOMETRIDAE. 
The expansion of the wings is about 1 inch. The fore-wings 
of the male are pale pink; there are several wavy brown lines 
forming the basal patch, a very distinct brown median band, 
narrowest below the middle, but much broader on. the costa than 
on the dorsum; the centre of this band is paler towards the 
costa; the termen is shaded with brown, except near the apex 
of the wing; the veins are faintly dotted in blackish. The hind- 
wings are bright ochreous with numerous wavy darker lines. 
The female is darker in colour than the male, the median band 
is broader; there are many fine brown and pink wavy lines on 
each side of the median band, and the principal veins are marked 
in pale ochreous. The grey transverse lines on the hind-wings 
are often more distinct in the female than in the male. 
Specimens taken in the North Island are generally 
slightly smaller and with the pink colouring more vivid 
than those from the South Island. Beyond the usual 
sheht fluetuations in the intensity of the markings there 
are no other variations. 
The perfect insect appears from September till April, 
and is very common in rather open forest districts, usually 
frequenting undergrowth on the edges of the denser forest. 
There are probably at least two distinct broods in a season. 
It is often one of the earliest’ of the Geometridae to appear 
in spring, and its advent is then especially welcome to the 
collector after the long inaction of winter. It is evidently 
closely allied to Y. orophyla, which appears to be the 
southern and Alpine representative of this interesting 
insect. Coremia ypsilonaria, Guen., is the male, and 
Cidaria delicatulata, Guen., is the female of this species. 
XANTHORHOE LOPHOGRAMMA. 
(Xanthorhoe lophogramma, Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1897, 
386.) 
(Plate XIII., fig. 45 @, 46 9.) 
This species has oceurred at Castle Hill, on the Christ- 
church-West Coast Road. 
The expansion of the wings is about 1$ inches. The insect 
differs from X. semifissata in the following respects: In the male 
the general colour is considerably duller and darker, the outer 
edge of the median band on thé fore-wings is more indented, 
and the veins are not dotted in black. In the female the mark- 
ings on the fore-wings are less distinct, the veins are not marked 
in pale ochreous, the outer edge of the median band is more 
deeply indented, and there is a darker shading near the termen 
than in X. semifissata. The hind-wings of both sexes are dark 
ochreous, without any transverse markings. 
The perfect insect appears in January, and frequents 
dry beech serub. 
XANTHORHOE ROSHARIA. 
(Cidaria rosearia, Dbld., Dieff, N.Z. ii. 285, Butl., Cat. Lep. pl. 
iii, 18. Coremia ardularia, Guen., E. M. M. v., 63. Core- 
mia inamoenaria, Guen., E. M. M. v., 68. Hpyaxa rosearia, 
Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi., 71.) 
(Plate XIII., fig. 41 @, 42 9; Frontispiece fig. 13 egg.) 
This species has occurred at Auckland and Welling- 
ton in the North Island; and in the South Island at Akaroa, 
Christehureh, Dunedin and Invereargill. 
