
XI—THE 
Arthur, Akaroa, Christchurch, Bealey River, Lake Waka- 
tipu, Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands. 
The expansion of the wings is about ? inch. The fore-wings 
are rather elongate, white, with the basal half dark purplish- 
brown, the edge of the dark colouring being slightly concave; the 
first line is very obscure, black; the orbicular and claviform also 
very obscure black, the orbicular being sometimes white-centred; 
the reniform is white, very faintly outlined in grey; the second 
line is very distinct blackislrgrey om a white ground, the ter- 
minal space is brown towards the apex and grey towards the 
dorsum; there is a very broad white sub-terminal line, broadly 
broken in the middle, the lower portion connected with the 
inner white area; the cilia are brownish-grey. The hind-wings 
are pale ochreous-grey. 
The life-history is thus described by Mr. Meyrick: 
‘* Larva rather stout, cylindrical, wrinkled, somewhat atten- 
‘“ uated towards extremities; light whitish-brown; spots 
‘* Jarge, round, brassy-fuscous, each containing a black 
‘* dot; head ochreous brown, second segment dark fuscous. 
‘“ Feeds in moss on tree trunks; pupa in same position; 
‘* taken in January almost full-grown.”’ 
The perfect insect appears from January till April, 
and frequents forest to about 2,500 feet. The colouring of 
the fore-wings is evidently imitative of bird-droppings, and 
must afford the insect efficient protection from enemies 
when at rest. 
SCOPARIA MINUALIS, 
(Scoparia minualis, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii., 83.) 
(Plate XXII, fig. 37 9.) 
This species is probably common and generally dis- 
tributed throughout the country. 
The expansion of the wings is barely ? inch. The fore-wings 
are somewhat elongate, yellowish-brown with blackish-brown and 
pale bluish-white markings; there is a brown basal area, darker 
towards the costa; the first line is white edged with black out- 
wardly; the middle area blackish-brown paler and narrower to- 
wards the dorsum; the orbicular and claviform are obscure dark 
blackish-brown; the reniform is_white, clearly edged with black, 
except towards the costa and dorsum; between the reniform and 
the second line is a very pale bluish-white blotch; the second 
line is white margined with black inwardly; the terminal space 
is brownish-black, much paler towards the dorsum; there is a 
small pale yellowish patch near the apex and a white patch near 
the tornus representing! the broken ends of a broad sub-terminal 
line; there is a row of white dots on the termen; the cilia are 
yellowish-brown, obscurely barred with darker brown. The hind- 
wings are very pale ochreous-grey with very faint terminal and 
sub-terminal lines. 
This species is distinguished from S. minusculalis by 
the distinct white first line and from S. chimeria by the 
white costal spot before the second line. 
Specimens from Southern localities are darker and 
greyer than those from the North, and individuals from the 
same locality differ slightly in the intensity of their colour- 
ing. 
The perfect insect appears in December and January, 
frequenting forest to elevations of about 2,500 feet. It is 
often fairly common. In general colouration it is clearly 
imitative of bird-droppings. 
PYRALIDAE. 185 
SCOPARIA CHIMERIA. 
(Scoparia chimeria, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xvii., 84.) 
(Plate XXII., fig. 48 9; Plate IIL. fig. 36 larva.) 
This rather dull-looking species is common and gener- 
ally distributed throughout the country. 
The expansion of the wings is 2? inch. The fore-wings are 
pale grey, speckled and mottled with black; the first line is black 
and fairly distinct; the orbicular and claviform are very obscure, 
merged in the general black mottling; the reniform is 8-shaped 
clearly edged with black; the second line is slender and black 
followed by two rather large black spots, one on the costa and 
one on the dorsum; between these two spots near the middle of 
the termen there is a very distinct pale, orange-yellow blotch 
and near the apex a small whitish spot; there is a terminal row 
of white dots; the cilia are dark' grey. The hind-wings are pale 
grey, darker towards the termen. 
This species may be easily recognised by the orange- 
yellow spot near the middle of the termen. 
During the spring and early summer the larva feeds 
oh moss growing on tree-trunks. It forms long silken 
galleries amongst the moss in which it lives. The leneth 
of the full-grown larva is about # inch. It is very stout, 
rapidly tapering towards the posterior extremity; the head 
is dark brown and very shining; the second segment black 
and highly polished; the third and fourth segments have 
six small, bronzy-black, horny plates and the remaining 
segments, except the twelfth and thirteenth, ten similar 
horny plates; the skin between these plates is paler in 
colour; the twelfth segment has eight plates and the thir- 
teenth has the entire dorsal surface horny. There are a 
few isolated black bristles. 
The pupa is enclosed in a small silken cocoon in the 
midst of the moss. 
The perfect insect appears from December till March. 
It is fairly common in forest, but does not appear to have 
been observed at altitudes exceeding about 1,000 feet above 
the sea-level. Its colouring is highly protective when rest- 
ing on tree-trunks. 
SCOPARIA DINODES. 
(Scoparia dinodes, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xvii., 85.) 
(Plate XckiF,, figs 3-2.) 
This species has occurred at Kaeo in the far North, 
Raurimu, Ohakune, Waiouru (2,500 feet), Wellington, 
Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill, and is probably 
fairly common and generally distributed. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over ~ inch. The 
fore-wings are dark brownish-black spotted and speckled. with 
white; there are several small indistinct black marks at the 
base; the first line is strongly curved, black, edged with white 
towards the base, the orbicular and claviform are small, black and 
very indistinct; before the second line there is a rather irregular, 
white area containing the reniforn which is 8-shaped, clear 
white; sharply edged with black; the second line is black, wavy, 
margined with white; the sub-marginal line is represented by 
two very pale yellow spots, one near the apex, the other near 
the tornus; there is a row of white dots on the termen; the cilia 
are dark brownish-black. The hind-wings are grey, darker to- 
wards the termen, 

