


Genus 2.—GALLERIA, Fab. 
Face with strong projecting ridge of scales. Labial palpi 
in male moderate, sub-ascending, terminal joint curved inwards, 
naked, flattened, pointed, in female moderately long, porrected, 
with appressed scales. Fore-wings: cell in male enlarged, open, 
4 and 5 approximated. Hind-wings: 4 and 5 stalked, sometimes 
coincident, 7 anastomosing shortly with 8. Imago with fore 
wings sub-oblong, costa in male strongly, in female moderately 
arched, termen with a triangular submedian projection, stronger 
in male. 
The single species included in this genus has been 
introduced by man. 
GALLERIA MELLONELLA. 
(Galleria mellonella, Lin., Syst. Nat. x., 537.) 
(Plate LI., fig. 9 9.) 
This well-known European insect has been found in 
bee-hives in the Taranaki and Ruakura districts. It has 
not been observed in the South Island. 
The expansion of the wings is fully 14 inches. The fore-wings 
are sub-oblong, with, the termen almost straight, except a slight 
sinuation before tornus stronger in the male; dull reddish- 
brown; there is a large irregular ochreous blotch in the disc 
below middle reaching the dorsum; the second line is indicated 
by a few black streaks on the veins. The hind-wings are pale 
brownish-ochreous, bordered with dull brown around apex and 
termen. ; 
The larva is pale dull grey; head and plate of segment 
2 dark reddish-brown; feeds in old honey combs in bee- 
hives.* 
Mr. Philpott informs me that he understands this in- 
sect was fairly common in the old box hives, but since the 
adoption of the frame hives, it is seldom met with. 
Described and 
Dominion Museum, 
figured from a specimen in the 
Sub-family 3—CrAMBIDES. 
Labial palpi usually very long, straight, porrected, loosely 
rough-sealed, attenuated forwards. Maxillary palpi well devel- 
oped, strongly triangular. Fore-wings with 7 separate or out of 
9. Hind-wings with defined pecten of hairs on lower margin of 
cell, 
A large and interesting sub-family, found everywhere, 
but specially prominent in New Zealand, where they con- 
stitute one-fifteenth of the whole lepidopterous fauna; in 
Great Britain they form about one sixty-fifth. A remark- 
able feature is the absence of relationship with the Austra- 
lian region, where Talis is the dominant genus of the fam- 
ily, and Crambus is virtually absent. 
Represented in New Zealand by the nine following 
genera. 
1. OROCRAMBUS. 5. TAUROSCOPA. 
2, CRAMBUS. 6. SCENOPLOCA. 
3. PROTYPARCHA. 7. TALIS. 
4, ARGYRIA. 8. DIPTYCHOPHORA. 
9. GADIRA. 

*Meyrick, British Lepidoptera, 586. | 
_XI.—THE PYRALIDAE. 

Genus 1—OROCRAMBUS, Meyr. 
Characters of Crambus, but with the under-surface of 
thorax and coxae densely hairy; labial palpi clothed with dense 
rough hairs, except towards apex. 
An interesting endemic genus, derived from Crambus. 
The species included in this genus closely resemble 
Crambus, but are generally stouter and chiefly black in 
colour. They principally frequent high, mountainous dis- 
triets, usually at elevations of from 4,000 to.5,000 feet 
above the sea-level. We have twelve species in New Zea- 
land all of which are confined to the South Island. 
OROCRAMBUS MELAMPETRUS. 
(Orocrambus melampetrus, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii., 133.) 
(Plate XX., fig. 26 9.) 
This species has occurred fairly commonly at Mount 
Arthur, Castle Hill, Arthur’s Pass, Mount Hutt, Vanguard 
Peak and Humboldt Range, Lake Wakatipu, at elevations 
ranging from 4,000 to 5,600 feet above the sea-level. 
The expansion of the wings is 1 inch. The fore-wings are 
very dark brownish-black and glossy with slight bluish refiec- 
tions. There is a grey slightly-waved transverse band at about 
4 blending with the ground colour towards the termen. The 
hind-wings are very dark brown. 
This is the most stoutly built species of the genus. In 
some specimens the transverse band of the fore-wings is 
much less distinct than in others. 
The egg is barrel-shaped, with about 14 longitudinal 
ribs, and fine transverse lines between each rib. Colour 
ochreous-white. Length about one-fortieth of an inch. 
The perfect insect appears early in January. It rests 
on bare shingle slopes in the hottest sunshine. When dis- 
turbed it flies with great rapidity, and henee it is very 
difficult to capture. 
OROCRAMBUS MYLITES. 
(Orocrambus mylites, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. 67.) 
(Plate XX., fig. 23 9.) 
This species is very common on the Tableland of 
Mount Arthur and surrounding mountains, at elevations of 
from 4,000 to 5,000 feet above the sea-level. 
The expansion of the wings is from ~ to 1 inch. The fore- 
wings are dark bronzy brown, slightly paler towards the costa 
and dorsum; there is a central, whitish, longitudinal streak from 
base to termen much clouded with grey and often finely divided 
just before it reaches the termen; there is a black shading imme- 
diately above this streak and a broader, divergent black shading 
below it; the costa and dorsum are very faintly sprinkled with 
white scales. The hind-wings are very dark slaty grey, paler 
in the female; the cilia are grey with white tips. 
This species is slightly variable in depth of colouring. 
The perfect insect appears in January and February. 
It is extremely abundant where found, usually frequenting 
swampy hollows on the mountain sides, clothed with the 
fine wiry mountain grass (Poa colensot), on which its larva 
probably feeds. 
