
X.—THE 
without a movement. One specimen experimented upon 
fell in this way a distance of four feet, on three successive 
cecasions, and in each case considerable difficulty was 
experienced in finding the insect amongst the dead leaves 
on the ground. 
AZELINA NELSONARIA. 
(Gonodontis nelsonaria, Feld., Reis. Noy. pl. exxiii. 3; Gonodontis 
feliz, Butl., Proce. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1877, 389, pl. xlii., 10; 
Phyllodoce nelsonaria, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xvi., 104; 
Gonophylla nelsonaria, ib. xviii., 184.) 
(Plate XVIIL, fig. :7 6,78 9:) 
This very handsome insect has occurred at Thames, 
Wairakei, Waimarino, fPuketiritiri (Napier), Mount 
Egmont and Wellington in the North Island, and at 
Nelson, Bealey River, Dunedin and Sandhill Point (Pre- 
servation Inlet) in the South Island. 
The expansion of the wings of the male is 14 inches; of 
the female 1g inches. The fore-wings of the male are rich red- 
adish-brown, mottled with darker; there are several small white 
marks on the costa; a black discal dot, and an almost straight 
white transverse line beyond three-quarters; outside this line 
the wing is speckled with greyish-white. The hind-wings are 
pale pinkish-brown or purplish-brown; there is a black discal 
dot, and a curved wavy blackish transverse line a little beyond 
the middle, being a continuation of the transverse line of the 
fore-wing; beyond this line and on the dorsum, there are gener- 
ally several small blackish markings. The female has the fore- 
wings orange-red, speckled with darker; there is a doubly curved 
wavy transverse line at about 4, and an almost straight trans: 
verse line beyond #, both dark red. The hind-wings are pale 
reddish-orange, often tinged with purple with a curved wavy 
blackish transverse line. In both sexes the apex of the fore- 
wing is projecting, and there is a strong rounded projection on 
the termen a little above the middle; the termen of the hind- 
wing also has several small projections. 
The variation of this insect is considerable, especially 
in the male. The ground colour of the fore-wings often 
inclines to dull brown, or dull yellowish-brown; the light 
and dark mottling, and the greyish markings near the 
termen are sometimes hardly visible; there is often a 
whitish blotch opposite the large projection in the termen 
of the fore-wing. The hind-wings also are very variable 
in their colouring. All these varieties exist in the female 
in a less pronounced degree. 
The perfect insect appears during the first week in 
February, and is generally over by the middle or end of 
March. It frequents forests. The males are first noticed. 
the females not appearing until about a fortnight later. I 
have never taken this insect in the daytime, and in fact 
have never seen it except on the blossoms of the white rata, 
where, on fine evenings, it is sometimes abundant. 
Genus 6—DECLANA, Walk. 
Face rough. Antennae in @ usually bipectinated, some- 
times simple. Palpi rather long, second joint ascending, with 
long hairs beneath terminal joint long, slender, clavate, por- 
rected. Thorax densely hairy above and beneath, with more or 
less developed median crest. Femora densely hairy. Fore-wings 

GEOMETRIDAE. 
with raised scales; 10 sometimes out of 9 usually anastomosing 
with 9, 11 seldom out of 10, sometimes anastomising with 10. 
(Plate C., figs. 56, 57 neuration of Declana floccosa; fig. 58 head 
of ditto.) 
Well characterized by the peculiar palpi. Of this very 
interesting endemic genus, we have no less than ten species, 
several of which are extremely handsome. One is confined 
to the North Island, three to the South Island, and six are 
common to both islands. 
Section A—Antennae in male simple. 
DECLANA LEPTOMERA. 
(Ipana leptomera, Walk., Cat. xv., 1662; Amphitape crussitibia, 
Feld., Reis. Nov. pl. cix., 10.) 
(Plate XVIII,, figs. 35, 36 @ varieties; 37 9 ditto; Plate II., fig. 
21 larva.) 
This narrow-winged species is common in the Welling- 
ton district. It has also occurred at Kaeo (North Auck- 
land), Whangarei, Nelson, Buller River, Christchurch, and 
Invercargill. 
The expansion of the wings is 14 inches. The fore-wings 
of the male are uniform pale brownish-ochreous, generally with 
two transverse series of minute darker brown dots parallel to 
the termen, and two or three similar dots near the middle of the 
wing. There is a series of very small brown lines on the costa. 
The hind-wings are greyish-brown with two very deep indenta- 
tions in the termen. The female has the fore-wings pale grey, 
and, the hind-wings darker grey; the markings and outline 
resemble the male. 
Some male specimens have four large black spots on 
the fore-wings, two near the base, and two near the termen. 
These spots are occasionally joined together by a very 
broad black band, which extends along the whole of the 
central portion of the fore-wings. Other male specimens 
have the fore-wings entirely marbled with dark grey. In 
the female two or three moderately large spots are occa- 
sionally present on the fore-wings, near the termen. Al! 
these varieties are much scareer than the typical form. 
In the extreme south the males are often clouded with dark 
brown. 
The egg is irregularly oval, sunken on the sides, and with 
no visible sculpture, except a slight pitting. It is pale green 
when first laid, but rapidly changes to yellowish-brown. The 
young larva is very slender, pale ochreous, with a series of con- 
spicuous broad red lines on the segmental divisions, which are 
also armed with numerous short black bristles; the anterior and 
posterior portions of the larva are, in fact, nearly covered with 
red lines and black bristles. The foodplant is manuka (Lepto- 
spermum). 
The length of the full-grown larva is nearly two inches; 
it is elongate, cylindrical, becoming gradually stouter towards 
the posterior extremity; the head is very flat, the legs rather 
stout, and the prolegs large and strong; there is a prominent 
lateral ridge produced into small excrescences on segments 6, 
7, 8, and 9; the general colour is pale brown; there is a broad 
dorsal band formed of dark greyish-brown streaks; a dark lat- 
eral shading on segments 7, 8 and 9, also on prolegs, and a few 
brighter brown streaks on parts of the body. 
