XUI—THE PTEROPHORIDAE. 207 
CHAPTER XIll. 
THE PTEROPHORIDAE. 
The Pterophoridae are distinguished by the following 
characters :— 
The maxillary palpi are obsolete. The fore-wings are usu- 
ally fissured, forming two (rarely three or four) segments; 
veins 8 and 9 are usually stalked. The hind-wings are without! 
a defined pecten of hairs on the lower margin of cell, on under 
surface with a double row of short dark spine-like scales on 
lower margin of cell; vein 5 remote from 4, 7 remote from 6, 
shortly approximated to 8 beyond origin, wing usually fissured 
forming three segments. (See Plate E., figs. 4-9). The legs are 
very long and unusually slender. 
This very distinct family comprises a number of beau- 
tiful insects, popularly known as Plume Moths. Although 
universally distributed, and including altogether a very 
considerable number of species, it is nowhere very prom- 
inent. The larvae are stout, hairy, sluggish in habits, living 
exposed on the leaves of their food-plant. The pupae are 
‘very remarkable, being coloured like the larvae and usually 
attached by the tail, much after the manner of the pupae 
of certain butterflies. ; 
The perfect insects mostly fly about sunset. 
The family is represented in New Zealand by the three 
following genera :— 
Pee EATY Prius, 2. 
38. STENOPTILIA. 
ALUCITA. 
Genus 1—PLATYPTILIA, Hiibn. 
Forehead usually with tuft of scales. Fore-wings bifid, seg- 
ments moderate, 8 and 9 stalked. Hind-wings trifid, third seg- 
ment with black scales ip dorsal cilia, sometimes barely traceable. 
(Plate E., figs. 7, 8 neuration of Platyptilia falcatalis; fig. 9 head 
of ditto.) 
An extensive and cosmopolitan genus. 
usually attached to species of Compositae. 
We have six species in New Zealand, of which three 
are confined to the South Island. 
The larvae are 
PLATYPTILIA FALCATALIS. 
(Platyptilus falcatalis, Walk., Cat. xxx, 931; Platyptilus repletalis 
ib., 9381; Platyptilia falcatalis, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 
XVii., 128; P. isoterma, Meyr., ib. xli.. 10; P. pulverulenia, 
Philp., ib., liv., 149; P. ferruwginea, Philp., ib., liv., 150 and 
lv., 209.) 
CPigte OME he fas eon Gl) 
This fine species has occurred commonly on Mount 
Egmont, at Wellington, Otira River, Christchurch, Dune- 
din, Lake Wakatipu, and Invercargill and is probably gen- 
erally distributed throughout the country. 
The expansion of the wings is usually slightly under 1 inch. 
The fore-wings are reddish-brown with numerous small, faint, 
diagonal darker brown stripes, plainer near the dorsum, there is 
a triangular black mark just before the cleft; a yellowish patch 
on the first plume; then a small black mark across each plume; 
followed by two diagonal, cream coloured marks and a dark 
brown terminal shading. The hind-wings are greyish-brown; the 
cilia also greyish-brown except on the dorsal edge of the third 
plume where a number of heavy black scales are situated. 
This species is very closely allied to Platyptilia 
aeolodes, but is a larger and brighter-looking insect. The 
pale markings on the plumes of the fore-wings are much 
more conspicuous, and the heavy black seales in the ter- 
minal cilia of the hind-wings more numerous. 
A smaller and very much brighter form of this insect, 
found on Mount Arthur, with the whole of the fore- and 
hind-wings clouded with reddish, has been described by 
Mr. Philpott, as a distinet species, under the name of Pla- 
typtiha ferruginea. P. pulverulenta, Philp., is stated to 
have the usual transverse markings on the digits of the 
fore-wings absent, the colour, beyond the large black tri- 
angular mark at the base of the digits, being yellowish- 
brown on the upper digit, and rosy brown on the lower 
digit. P. isoterma Meyr., is stated to be distinguished by 
the strong black entire line at the base of the terminal cilia 
of the fore-wings. 
P. repletais is regarded by Mr. T. Bainbrigge 
Fletcher as a distinct species and is stated by him to differ 
from P. falcatalis in its longer palpi and paler space at 
base of cilia of second segment of fore-wing. See Trans. 
Ent. Soe. Lond., 1925, p.p. 603-607. 
The perfect insect appears from November till March, 
and is usually found in localities where the Koromiko 
(Veronica salicifolia) is abundant. It is more frequently 
met with in the late summer and autumn. 
PLATYPTILIA AEOLODES. 
(Platyptilia aeolodes, Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond.; 1902, 278; 
s Trans. N.Z. Inst., xli., 10.) 
(Plate XXITIL, fig. 14 @.) 
This insect has occurred at Auckland, Swanson, Wai- 
marino, Waiouru, Taupo, Wellington, Christchurch, 
Springfield, Castle Hill, Lake Wakatipu, Invercargill and 
on the Auckland and Chatham Islands. It is probably a 
very generally distributed species. 

