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138 
with white towards the base of the wing; a doubly curved trans- 
verse line beyond the niddie, finely edged with white towards 
the base of the wing; there is also a short white-edged brown 
stripe extending from the apex of the wing to the lastnamed 
transverse line, the two enclosing between them a small pale 
apical patch; there are five short longitudinal brown lines 
running from the termen to the outermost of the transverse 
lines, two of them being tipped with white towards the base of 
the wing. The hind-wings are dull ochreous-brown, with two 
very faint brown transverse lines towards the dorsum, and 
several whitish spots and one brown spot near the tornus. The 
female is a little darker in colour than the male. 
This insect varies slightly in size but not otherwise. 
The larva feeds on the silver tree fern (Cyathea deal- 
bata) during the spring months. Prior to its last moult, 
it is pale green, with white sub-dorsal and lateral lines 
and conspicuous brown blotches on the sides of each seg- 
ment, often meeting across the back. The full-grown 
larva is about 1-inch in length, stout, slightly attenuated 
towards the head; dull green mottled with white with the 
edges of the segments yellowish-brown; there are two 
conspicuous white sub-dorsal lines and two broad irregular 
white lateral lines, narrower at the segmental divisions; 
the spiracles are brown. This larva is very sluggish, rest- 
ing on the silvery undersurface of the fronds of the tree- 
fern where it is very inconspicuous. 
The pupa is concealed amongst moss, on the surface 
of the ground, the insect remaining in this state for about 
six weeks. 
The moth appears from September till March, and 
frequents dense forests. It may be dislodged from its 
foodplant in the daytime or taken on the flowers of the 
white rata in the evening. 
The silvery banded colouring of this species and of 
Tortric torogramma strikingly similar in general 
effect, and are both highly protective amongst the foliage 
of Cyathea dealbata, to which both insects are attached. 
In this case we have a very interesting instance of the 
same protective resemblance having been independently 
acquired by two species otherwise wholly dissimilar. 
are 
SELIDOSEMA SCARIPHOTA. 
(Selidosema scariphota, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xlvii., 202.) 
(Plate XVL., fig. 29 @; Plate IT., fig: 19, larva.) 
This very distinet species was discovered by Mr. R. 
M. Sunley at Makara, near Wellington. It has also 
occurred at Otira. 
The expansion of the wings is from 14 to 14 inches. 
fore-wings are pale ochreous, faintly clouded with very pale 
purplish-brown on the basal and terminal areas; there is a 
broken double blackish line on the basal edge of the median 
band, strongest towards the dorsum, and a very interrupted 
blackish line on the outer edge of the median band, inwards- 
curved towards the dorsum; the entire wing is strewn with very 
short thick blackish streaks, most numerous on the median band; 
there is a very distinct blackish sub-apical patch, and a series 
of black terminal dots; the cilia are ochreous, faintly barred 
with grey. The hind-wings are ochreous, sometimes with very 
numerous faint greyish dots, and several very broken greyish 
The 

X.—THE GEOMETRIDAE. 
transverse lines; there is often a series of small blackish ter- 
minal dots, and the cilia are pale ochreous with a grey line. 
The larva, which feeds on the native broom (Carmic- 
haelia), is about 14 inches in length, rather slender, eylin- 
drical, almost uniform in thickness; rather dark dull green, 
very finely streaked with paler green; the head is pale 
ochreous mottled with dark grey; the legs are greenish- 
ochreous; there is a pale brown lateral ridge on segments 
2 and 3; the prolegs and anal flap are pale brownish- 
ochreous mottled with darker; there is a rather indistinet 
pale ochreous dorsal stripe, extending from segment 9 to 
the posterior extremity. 
This larva is sluggish in its habits, either clinging 
firmly to the foodplant, or sticking straight out from it 
like a twig. In either position it is very inconspicuous, 
and its colouring and general appearance highly protec- 
tive. . 
The perfect’ insect appears in January. 
a very rare species. 
I am indebted to Mr. Sunley for specimens of both 
larva and imago. 
It is evidently 
SELIDOSEMA MELINATA. 
(Numeria melinata 9, Feld., Reis. Nov. pl. exxix., 9; nec. Meyr.; 
Selidosema pungata @, Feld., ib. pl. exxnxi., 23; Selidosema 
cremnopa &, Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1897, 387.) 
This species has occurred at Auckland. 
The expansion of the wings is about 14 inches. Antennal 
pectinations a 8, b 9-10. Fore-wings with termen rounded; 
brown, towards costa suffused with ochreous-whitish, especially 
posteriorly; first and second lines strong, white, first sharply 
angulated near costa, slightly sinuate below middle, second 
almost straight on upper % and nearly parallel to termen, dorsal 
third sinuate inwards, first edged on both sides and second 
anteriorly with dark fuscous more broadly towards dorsum; disc 
suffusedly mixed with dark fuscous; a blackish transverse discal 
dot; a dorsal spot of white suffusion following second line; sub- 
terminal line fine, waved, whitish, interrupted above middle by 
a spot of dark fuscous suffusion, towards costa merged in a 
quadrate whitish-ochreous apical _ spot. Hind-wings light 
ochreous-yellowish; margins of postmedian and subterminal lines 
indicated by fuscous shades. 
The perfect insect appears in December. Perhaps 
nearest to S. productata, but the form of the second line 
is wholly different. 
I am unaequainted with this species. 
taken from Mr. Meyrick’s description. 
The above is 
SELIDOSEMA CAMPBELLI. 
(Selidosema campbelli, Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst. lvii., 705.) 
(Plate XLVIII., fig. 34 9.) 
This very handsome species was discovered by Mr. J. 
W. Campbell at Blackball, near Greymouth. 
The expansion of the wings is fully 13 inches. The fore- 
wings are very pale brownish-cream-colour, slightly darker on the 
basal area; the median band is very broad, deep chocolate brown, 
its inner edge slightly concave, from about 4 of costa to 4 of 
dorsum; its outer edge from considerably beyond middle of costa 
to about 3 of dorsum, there is a rather abrupt rounded projection 
