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all the wings are purplish-brown. In the female the fore-wings 
vary from orange yellow to bright orange brown, or bright red- 
dish-brown; the white markings are all very minute and there 
are four spots finely outlined in brown inside the second line; 
the terminal area is sometimes shaded with purple. The hind- 
wings are bright ochreous, shaded with purple on the termen. 
The perfect insect appears from November till March, 
and is sometimes met. with in the winter. It is usually 
taken on blossoms in the evening, but is not generally a 
common species. A very dull coloured form, however, 
oceurs rather freely amongst rough herbage on Arthur’s 
Pass at about 3,000 feet above the sea-level. This insect 
rests with the fore-wings folded flat over the back, hiding 
the hind-wings; the tip of the abdomen is slightly elevated ; 
the anterior legs sometimes folded up out of use and com- 
pletely hidden. The moth stands on the hind and inter- 
mediate pairs, or on all three pairs, the tips of the tarsi 
only touching the ground; the antennae are placed close 
together along the mid-back; the head end is considerably 
elevated. 
Genus 8—MECYNA, Steph. 
Antennae 8. Labial palpi long or rather long, porrected, 
second joint triangularly expanded with projecting scales, ter- 
minal joint more or less concealed. Maxillary palpi dilated with 
scales towards apex. Tibial outer spurs half inner. Hind-wings 
with some loose hairs on and beneath median vein, but without 
defined pecten. (Plate D., figs. 31, 32 neuration of Mecyna flavi- 
dalis; fig. 33 head of ditto.) 
A small genus, of wide distribution. We have seven 
New Zealand species. Except the first, they are all of 
South American affinity. 
MECYNA MAORIALIS. 
(Botys maorialis, Feld., Reis. Nov., pl. exxxiv., 34.) 
(Plate XXI., fig. 25 @; Plate II., fig. 38 larva.) 
s 
This pretty species has oceurred at Waitakere, near 
Auckland, and at Pipiriki (Wanganui River). It is ex: 
tremely abundant at Kekerangu and near Karamea, and 
has also been found at Lyttelton, Christchurch, Ashburton, 
Dunedin, Lake Wakatipu, and Invercargill. Although 
probably abundant in many restricted localities it is cer- 
tainly not a generally distributed species. 
The expansion of the wings is 1$ inches. The fore-wings 
are warm yellowish-brown slightly darker near the base and ter- 
men with two faint oblong blackish marks beneath the costa 
near the middle; the second line is indicated by a curved series 
of faint dots. The hind-wings are bright orange-yellow with a 
broad blackish band on the termen becoming fainter and nar- 
rower towards the tornus. 
The larva of this insect, which feeds on the Kowhai 
(Sophora tetraptera), S. grandifolia, Cape broom, common 
broom and, clover, is very handsome. Its general colour is 
pale green; the head is reddish-brown, the first segment 
black with three white stripes; there is a conspicuous yellow 
and white lateral line; two rows of large black tubercles on 
each segment except the last, generally with two or three 

180 XI—THE PYRALIDAE. 
brilliant white centres from each of which fine black bristles 
arise; there is a double row of clear white spots along the 
back; the prolegs are greenish with a minute white centred 
black tubercle above each. The length of the larva when 
full-grown is about 14 inches. 
The pupa is enclosed in a white silken cocoon, hidden 
amongst the leaves of the food-plant. 
The perfect insect appears from November till March. 
According to Mr. W. W. Smith it is double brooded, the 
members of the first brood emerging in November, and 
those of the second brood about March. 
This insect is nearly allied to a group of similar spe- 
cies extending through Europe, the Indo-Malayan region, 
and Australia, and has formerly been supposed identical 
with one or other of them, but is now regarded as distinct. 
MECYNA DAICLEALIS. 
(Scopula daiclesalis, Walk., Cat. xix., 1017; Mnesictena daiclealis, 
Meyr:, Trans) N:Z. Inst. xxl 155.) 
(Plate XXI., fig. 23; Plate II., fig. 37 larva.) 
This rather bright-looking species has oceurred at 
Kaeo, North of Auckland, Waitakere, Waimarino, Welling- 
ton and Dunedin. 
The expansion of the wings varies from 3 to } inch. The 
head and thorax are bright reddish-brown; the abdomen pinkish- 
ochreous. The fore-wings are triangular, with the costa strongly 
arched towards the apex and the termen rather bowed and 
oblique; ‘bright reddish-brown, the costa is narrowly edged with 
white from about 4 to #; the first line is rather indistinct, ‘black- 
ish, not touching margins of wing and often absent; the reniform 
is sometimes very obscurely indicated; the second line is 
strongly curved inwards below the middle, broad and blackish- 
brown or narrow and dark reddish-brown; the dorsum is more 
or less narrowly bordered with ochreous; the cilia are dark; red- 
dish-brown. The hind-wings are bright ochreous-yellow, with a 
minute blackish discal dot; the cilia are very bright pinkish-red. 
The fore-wings vary considerably in colour and are 
often more or less tinged with grey, which gives the insect 
a much duller appearance. As already indicated the mark- 
ings are also frequently indistinct or altogether absent. In 
some specimens there is an extremely faint grey transverse 
line half way between the discal dot and the termen. 
The larva, which feeds on the Koromiko (Veronica sali- 
cifolia) is about 2 inch in length, very stout with the seg- 
mental divisions deeply excised; pale brownish-ochreous, 
darker on the back and very glassy-looking; there are two 
large, irregular, blackish horny plates on the second seg- 
ment; the third and fourth segments have seven large 
blaeckish-brown sub-dorsal warts, six warts being situated 
on each succeeding segment, except the last two; there are 
also two or three rows of minute lateral warts.- 
The pupa is enclosed between two leaves joined 
together with silk. 
The perfect insect appears from December till May. 
It is certainly.a scarce species, but specimens are occasion- 
ally taken at light or beaten out of the Veronica, 
- elie dls 
