XUI.—THE PTEROPHORIDAE. 211 
STENOPTILIA CHARADRIAS. 
(Mimdeseoptilus charadrias, Meyr., Trans, N.Z. Inst., xvii., 126.) 
(Plate XXIII., fig. 4 @.) 
This species has occurred at Arthur’s Pass and in the 
Routeburn Valley near Lake Wakatipu, at elevations rang- 
ing from 1,500 to 4,000 feet. 
The expansion of the wings varies from 3 to ~ inch. The 
fore-wings are brownish-ochreous, darker on the costa and much 
paler on the dorsum; there are a few obscure pale dots on the 
costa, an elongate blackish mark before the cleft, in the female 
larger and touching the cleft; the female also has a cloudy, black- 
ish triangular patch below the apex, terminated by a whitish line 
near the termen; in the male the triangular patch is absent and 
the whitish line is shaded into the termen; the cilia are pale 
brownish-ochreous becoming white inside the cleft. The hind- 
wings and cilia are dark brown. 
The perfect insect appears in January. It is a very 
local mountain species, but often abundant in the restricted 
localities it frequents. On the Lake Harris track in the 
Routeburn Valley I noticed that it was attached to a small 
sub-alpine shrub resembling Tauhinu (Cassinia). 
STENOPTILIA VIGENS. 
(Oxyptilus vigens, Feld., Reis. Nov., pl. exl., 49; Stenoptilia 
vigens, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xliv., 119.) 
(Plate ex Ll fee Seas.) 
Apparently a very rare species, having been discovered 
during the voyage of the Austrian frigate ‘‘ Novara ’’ in 
the year 1859, but not again heard of until I captured it 
ion the Humboldt Range at the head of Lake Wakatipu in 
February, 1911. Since that time it has occurred in the 
Otira Gorge. 
The expansion of the wings is about 3 inch. The fore-wings 
are very pale brownish-ochreous with rich reddish-brown mark- 
ings; there is a narrow stripe along the costa; a very distinct 
spot at the base of the cleft; a broad, wedged-shaped patch on 
the upper digit and a faint reddish-brown shading on the lower 
digit; there iS an ochreous line along the dorsum and two or 
three thick brown scales in the dorsal cilia. The hind-wings are 
pale purplish-brown, the last digit being strongly tinged with 
ochreous. 
The perfect insect appears in February, and frequents 
open grassy slopes on the mountains at elevations of from 
2,500 to 3,000 feet above the sea-level. 
STENOPTILIA ORITES. 
(Stenoptilia orites, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xvii., 126.) 
(Plate XXIII, fig. 10 9.) 
This very rare species has occurred on Arthur’s Pass 
at about 3,000 feet above the sea-level. It has also been 
taken near Clinton and on Ben Lomond at an altitude of 
about 2,500 feet. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over 2 inch. The 
fore-wings are dull greyish-ochreous; there is a series of obscure 
blackish bars on the costa; two discal dots, the first at 4, the 
second before and below the base of the cleft; an elongate discal 
shading; two cloudy stripes on the first digit, which is very nar- 
row and two blackish patches on the second digit. The hind- 
wings are pale brownish-grey. All the cilia are dusky grey. The 
palpi are very long with a dark streak on the outer side of each. 
The head, thorax and abdomen are dull greyish-ochreous, the 
last-named with a series of blackish marks on the edges of the 
posterior segments. 
The perfect insect appears from November till March, 
and frequents open tussock country. When at rest all the 
plumes are folded closely together and the wings are thus 
much reduced in width. If disturbed it drops, as though 
dead, amongst the roots of the grass or in the net, and as it 
then closely resembles a short length of dried tussock, it, 
no doubt, very often escapes detection. 
STENOPTILIA ZOPHODACTYLA. 
(Stenoptilia zophodactyla, Dup., Hist. Nat. Lep. Fr., ii., 314; 
canalis Walk., Cat., xxx., 944.) 
CElate Xeeis ew 12 ae) 
This pretty species has occurred in the neighbourhood 
of Wellington, and near Christchurch, but seems to be a 
rare insect. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over % inch. The 
fore-wings have the costa very strongly arched before the apex, 
both digits rather acutely pointed, the lower with its outer mar- 
gin very oblique; dwll brownish-grey very faintly speckled with 
black and white and with slight bronzy reflections; there is a 
minute discal dot at 4 and a larger black spot at the cleft and 
sometimes two minute black dots on the outer margins of each 
digit. The hind-wings are dark grey thickly sprinkled with 
bronzy-brown dots. The cilia of all the wings are brownish-grey, 
with slight bronzy reflections. 
Apparently varies slightly in the depth of the colour- 
ing, some specimens being duller and greyer than others. 
The larva, which has never been observed in New Zea- 
land, is yellowish-green or brownish-yellow with the dorsal 
line reddish, sometimes purple or darker green; the sub- 
dorsal line is sometimes pale purplish, or pale yellowish. It 
feeds on the flowers of Erythraea centawrtum (Meyrick). 
The perfect insect appears in November and again late 
in March. It frequents open, grassy places in the neigh- 
bourhood of cultivation, and has possibly been artificially 
introduced perhaps quite recently. Its geographical range 
is a wide one, comprising Eastern Australia, India, Europe, 
Africa and South America. 

