XV=THE 
The expansion of the wings is about ¢ inch. The fore-wings 
are deep Sslaty-brown, faintly dappled with darker; there are 
several short bars of rich chocolate-brown on the costa dnd an 
elongate wedge-shaped ochreous patch placed longitudinally on 
the costa at the base. The hind-wings are brownish-cream colour 
with numerous broad faint purplish-grey bars between the veins. 
The perfect insect appears in October and November, 
and frequents forest. 
Deseribed and figured from a specimen kindly lent to 
me by Mr. Clarke. 
Genus 8.—HPALXIPHORA, Meyr. 
Palpi moderate, subascending, 
second joint with dense tolerably appressed scales somewhat 
expanded towards apex, terminal moderate. Thorax with large, 
erect crest on each side of back, and small double posterior 
crest. Fore-wings with veins 7 and 8 stalked,* 7 to termen. 
Hind-wings with cubital pecten, veins 3 and 4 Separate, 3, 4, and 
5 more or less closely approximated towards base, 6 and 7 
stalked. (Plate E., figs. 37, 38, 39 neuration of Hpalxiphora 
axenana,; fig. 40 head of ditto.) 
The single peculiar species, which constitutes this 
genus, is very variable but can be recognised from all others 
by the triple thoracic crest. 
Antennae in male ciliated. 
EPALXIPHORA AXENANA. 
(Epalziphora axenana, Meyr., Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales, 1881, 
6485 Trans. N.Z. Insts, XV. Do XVI, 147.) 
(Plate XXV., figs. 44, 45 ¢@ varieties; figs. 46-53 9 ditto.) 
This very pretty and variable species seems to be gen- 
erally distributed throughout the North Island. 
The expansion of the wings of the male varies from slightly 
over # inch to 1% inches; of the female from slightly under 1 
inch to 14 inches. The fore-wings in the male have the apex 
slightly hooked and the termen strongly bowed; the general 
colour varies from pale ochreous-brown to dull purplish-grey; the 
costa is broadly shaded with dark brown, darkest near the mid- 
dle and usually enclosing an oval paler patch; in the purplish 
varieties ‘there is often a large reddish patch just below the 
costa; there is nearly always a narrow pale brown or yellowish 
pateh on the apex and usually a number of dark brownish marks 
on the dorsum. The hind-wings are pale grey obscurely mottled 
with darker grey. 
Many of the males having the ochreous apical patch 
bear a striking resemblance, in miniature, to the well-known 
Huropean Buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala). In both 
these species the wings are closely folded down the body in 
repose, giving the creature a very stick-like appearance. 
The resemblance between these two insects, so widely separ- 
ated in affinities and habitat, is a most interesting case of 
parallel adaptation to environment. 
The female nas the fore-wings considerably longer and nar- 
rower, the costa elbowed at 4, the apex more strongly hooked, 
and the colouring and markings much more variable than in the 
male; the usual ground colour is pdle brownish-ochreous or bone 
colour; there is a dark brown oblong mark on the costa at one- 
sixth almost meeting a pale brown wavy band on the dorsum at 
about 4; a narrow pale brown band on the costa at 4 almost 
meets a large patch of the same colour on the dorsum which 
*In the specimen figured veins 7 and 8 were stalked in one 
fore-wing and separate in the other. 
TORTRICIDAE. ye 

Co 
Oe 
reaches to the tornus; there is a narrow, irregular, edging of 
brown on the costa from about 4 nearly to the apex, leaving a 
narrow, oblique apical band of the pale ground colour; the ter- 
men is more or less distinctly bordered with pale brown. The 
hind-wings are very pale ochreous, faintly mottled with grey. 
Some of the principal varieties of the female may be briefly 
described as follows:— 
(1.) Fore-wings very pale ochreous with all markings very 
indistinct. (This form is close to ab. obsoleta of Quail.) 
(2.) Fore-wings pale bone colour with few distinct markings 
on central portions (fig. 48.) (Probably ab. albo-suffusa of 
Quail.) 
(38.) Fore-wings much clouded with very pale dull green. 
(4.) Fore-wings with all markings of varying shades of 
dark brown in place of pale brown (fig. 47.) 
(5.) Fore-wings with anterior and central portions clouded 
with grey and warm brown patches on the dorsum (fig. 49.) 
(6.) Fore-wings with a strong diagonal dark-brown line 
from apex to middle of base of wing (fig. 46.) 
(7.) Fore-wings clouded with bright reddish-brown with 
broad, longitudinal stripe from apex to middle of base of wing 
(fig. 50). This form is apparently close to ab. brunnei-lineata, 
Quail. 
(8.) Fore-wings entirely dark purplish-brown, except on the 
costa near the base and on dorsum before the tornus (fig. 53). 
Probably ab. nigro-extrema, Quail. 
(9.) Fore-wings with costal area cream-colour and dorsal 
area rich reddish-brown (fig. 51). A rare and striking form. This 
may be a form of ab. purpurascens of Quail. 
(10.) Fore-wings with costal area, except apex, pale brown- 
ish-ochreous with pale brown markings; terminal and dorsal 
areas and thorax almost black (fig. 52). This is another rare 
and striking variety and also Seems to be ab. purpurascens, Quail. 
Aecording to the late Mr. Quail the female deposits a 
circular, semi-transparent mass consisting of about 29 eggs. 
Each egg is oval in outline, slightly convex above, and 
covered with a rather large crystalline pattern composed 
mostly of pentagonal but some hexagonal figures. The 
principal foodplants are Kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum) 
and Kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile). The newly-hatched 
larva does net eat the egg-shell. Young larvae feed on the 
under-surtace of a leaf beneath a few threads of silk; later 
two leaves are drawn together, or, failing this, the leaf is 
folded over. Piper excelsum is the staple pabulum of Hpalx. 
axenana: the leaves are broad and succulent. In normal 
seasons it is difficult to find leaves of P. excelsum which are 
not riddled with holes: one suspects these are made by 
slugs. The larvae of Epalx. axenana are easily alarmed and 
drop to the ground; they are seldom found feeding between 
the leaves which have holes in them: the slugs or whatever 
cause the holes are probably responsible for a high mor- 
tality among them by alarming them away from their food. 
The adult larva is semi-transparent green, with no 
appreciable markings except on the head, which is yellow- 
ish with characteristic brown mottling on each lobe. The 
duration of the larval existence is from 30 to 32 days. The 

skin has a reticulation. From the centre of each figure 
hexagonal or what not—of which it is composed a small 
boss rises tipped with a _ spike: these spicules persist 
throughout the larval existence, and practically cover the 
whole skin; but around the base of setae a space exists with- 

