XIV.—THE PSYCHIDAE, 
GHARTER AKIN® 
THE PSYCHIDAE. 
distinguished by the following 
” 
The Psychidae are 
characters :— 
No tongue. No maxillary palpi. Antennae short, in male 
bipectinated. Fore-wings with vein 1 furcate, posteriorly coales- 
cing with vein-like sub-median fold; veins 8 and 9 stalked. Hind- 
wings with frenulum developed, vein 1c present; vein 8 connected 
by bar with upper margin of cell. Female apterous, without 
legs or developed antennae. (Plate A., figs. 20, 21, neuration of 
Oeceticus omnivorus.) 
A small family of universal distribution, but commoner 
in warm countries. The male imago has thinly scaled 
wings, without markings; its flight is strong and swift, 
sometimes in sunshine. The female is almost wholly help- 
less; the abdomen is at first greatly distended with eggs, 
and ultimately shrivels up. 
The egg is oval, smooth. The larva inhabits a strong 
portable silken case, covered with fragments of stick or 
refuse. The pupa is enclosed within the larval ease. 
Although of dull and inconspicuous appearance, the 
insects comprised in this family are exceptionally interest- 
ing in their habits and the completely helpless condition 
of the females is most remarkable. Two genera occur in 
New Zealand, each represented by a single species :— 
1. CiCETICUS. 2. OROPHORA. 
Genus 1—@CETICUS, Guild. 
Ocelli present. Antennae 4, in male strongly bi-pectinated, 
much more shortly on apical half. Labial palpi extremely short, 
rough-haired. Abdomen in male very elongate, roughly hairy. 
Legs hairy, tibiae without spurs, posterior tarsi extremely short 
and stout. Fore-wings with veins 4 and 5 short-stalked, 7 some- 
times out of 9, 8 and 9 stalked, forked parting-vein well defined. 
Hind-wings with veins 4 and 5 connate, 8 connected by bar with 
cell beyond middle. An additional vein (9) rising from 8 before 
bar. (See Plate A., figs. 20, 21.) 
This generic name was wrongly spelt Otketicus by its 
originator and others. 
CECETICUS OMNIVORUS. 
(Liothula omnivora, Fereday, Trans. N.Z. Inst. x., 260, pl. ix. 
Q@ceticus omnivorus, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxii., 212.) 
(Plate XLIV., fig. 14 @; Plate III., fig. 25, larva in its case.) 
This interesting species is seldom seen as an imago in 
the natural state, although the cases constructed by its 
larva are of common occurrence. Specimens of these cases 
have been noticed at many localities between Kaeo, north 
of Auckland, in the North Island, and Invercargill, in the 
South Island, so that apparently the insect is common, and 
generally distributed throughout New Zealand. 
The expansion of the wings of the male is from 14 to 14 
inches. The fore-wings are very elongate and narrow. All the 
wings are blackish-brown, and sparsely covered with scales, the 
hind pair being semi-transparent. The body is very hairy, and 
deep black. The antennae are broadly bi-pectinate at the base, 
becoming almost filiform towards the apex. The female insect 
is apterous, having a close superficial resemblance to a large 
maggot. The head and thorax are very small, and the legs and 
antennae rudimentary. The extremity of the body is furnished 
with a two-jointed ovipositor, and there are a few scattered yel- 
lowish seales on various parts of the insect. Its length is about 
i inch: 
About midsummer the eggs of this species are deposited 
inside the old case, which the female insect never leaves 
during the whole of her life. The young larva when first 
hatched is about $ inch in length. Its head and three 
anterior segments are corneous and much larger than the 
others, which are rather soft with the exception of the last 
one. These little larvae are extremely active, and immedi- 
ately after hatching leave the old case, and roam in all 
directions over the tree, letting themselves down from 
branch to branch by silken threads. They carry the pos- 
terior portion of their body elevated in the air, walking 
whilst doing so by means of their strong thoracic legs. 
These young larvae are met with in the late summer and 
autumn and do not become full-grown until towards the 
end of the winter. 
The foodplants of this species are very numerous. 
The following are a few of them: Manuka (Leptospermum 
scoparvum and ericoides), Willow, Broom, Cupressus macro- 
carpa, Pinus radiata, Cassinia, Dracophyllum longifolium, 
ete., ete. These, it will be observed, include several intro- 
duced trees. In fact, the insect is a very general feeder. 
About three days after leaving the egg, the little caterpillar 
constructs a minute conical, silken case, which it carries 
almost in an upright position on its posterior segments. 
Later on in life this case becomes too heavy to be held ver- 
tically, and is afterwards dragged along by the larva, and 
often allowed to hang downwards. The ease has two aper- 
tures—a large one in front, through which the head of the 
larva is projected, and a smaller one at the posterior 
extremity, which allows the pellets of excrement to fall out 
of the case, as soon as they are evacuated. 
Owing to the apterous and completely helpless eondi- 
tion of the female imago, it is evident that the dispersal 
of this insect must take place in the larval state. Distribu- 

