













ee ee 



Sale i ii te 





































ii 
' 







78 AXVIf—THE 
lichens, and in many the colouring is very beautiful. One 
of them, Jzatha peroneanella, may be ranked as one of the 
loveliest of the New Zealand Lepidoptera. All the species 
are characteristic of midsummer, few appearing earlier 
than December, or remaining later than the middle of 
February. The perfect insects almost invariably rest with 
closed wings on tree trunks, and in this situation the pro- 
tective colouring of the fore-wings is brought most effec- 
tively into use. The larvae are wood-borers, and feed in 
the dead branches of various trees during the winter, pupa- 
tion taking place the following spring. Much pleasure 
awaits the field naturalist who investigates these insects, as 
the beauty of their perfect adaptations can only be pro- 
perly appreciated by a study of living specimens, in their 
natural surroundings. 
There are nineteen species in New Zealand, and pro- 
bably others remain to be discovered. Nine species are con- 
fined to the North Island, four to the South Island, and 
six occur in both islands. 
IZATHA PERONEANELLA. 
(Gelechia peroneanella, Walk., Cat. xxix., 658; Semiocosma peron- 
eanella, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xvi., 22; Oryptolechia 
lichenella, Walk., Cat. xxix., 769; (?) adapertella, ibid. 
653; Semiocosma mystis, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xx., 79.) 
(Plate XXV., fig. 54 @; Plate III., fig. 6 larva.) 
This lovely insect is fairly common and generally dis- 
tributed throughout the country. 
The expansion of the wings varies from about # inch to 
slightly over 1 inch. The fore-wings are pale green, with a num- 
ber of sharply-dejfined angulated black markings on the basal and 
discal portions of the wing, and a marginal series of black dots 
extending from # of the costa to slightly beyond the tornus. The 
hind-wings are pale brownish-grey, darker towards the apex; 
there is usually a darker discal dot and a series of indistinct 
dusky marks on the termen. 
Much variation occurs in the pale green ground colour 
of the fore-wings, which ranges from yellowish-green to 
almost blue; the angulated black markings also vary a 
little in shape and, on the dise, are associated with more 
or less prominent tufts of raised scales. The hind-wings 
also vary in the depth of colouring. 
The larva is very elongate, cylindrical and of uniform thick- 
ness. The head is bright reddish-brown and very shining; the 
second segment is furnished with a large pale brown horny 
plate; the third segment with a narrow horny ridge; the other 
segments, except the last three, are dull white, with the blackish- 
brown alimentary canal showing through the skin, especially 
behind each segmental division; the last three segments are yel- 
lowish-ochreous, the last segment having an indistinct brown 
horny plate. The third and fourth segments are each furnished 
with a transverse row of bristles and the last segment with 
numerous bristles. There is a conspicuous white lateral ridge. 
This caterpillar varies considerably in colour, some 
individuals being much darker than others. It is a wood- 
borer, living in the dead branches of Aristotelia racemosa 
and probably other trees. It is very active, excavating 
numerous galleries in the wood, but does not live immedi- 
ately under the bark, This larva evidently feeds through- 

TINEIDAE. 
out the winter, and is full-grown about the beginning of 
November. 
The pupa, which is enclosed in one of the burrows 
without any cocoon, is rather elongate, bright ochreous- 
brown, paler on the leg and wing-cases. There is a re- 
markable series of parallel horny ridges, on the back of 
the segment immediately below the wing-cases, which no 
doubt helps the pupa to work its way to the open air before 
emergence. The cremaster is rather long and the whole 
pupa is covered with short hairs. 
The perfect insect appears from November till Febru- 
ary, and frequents scrubby forest. It is nearly always 
found resting on tree-trunks with closed wings, where its 
exquisite green and black colouring causes it to closely re- 
semble the green lichens so often found in such situations. 
The raised scales and black markings imitate those minute 
curled portions of the lichens which show the black under 
surface. This species is found later in the season than 
most others of the genus. It is often taken, in good con- 
dition, during the last week in February. 




IZATHA HUTTONII. 
(Oecophora huttonii, Butl., Cist. Ent., ii., 511.) 
(Plate XXYV., fig. 43 ¢@.) 
This pretty species has occurred at Kaeo, North of 
Auckland, Raurimu, Ohakune, and many localities in the 
neighbourhood of Wellington. 
The expansion of the wings varies from about #? inch to 14 
inches. Jt closely resembles I. peroneanella but the green ground 
colour of the fore-wings is replaced by creamy white and the 
black markings are pale brown, or dark brown, and finer and 
less numerous than in that species. The hind-wings are white, 
sometimes very slightly tinged with brown. 
The life-history no doubt closely resembles that of J. 
peroneanella. 
The perfect insect appears in December and January. 
It rests with closed wings on the trunks of trees, the fore- 
legs being extended in front of the insect and the antennae 
held back under the wings. In this situation it bears a 
fairly close resemblance to a patch of white lichen, but the 
protection is not nearly so perfect as in J. peroneanella. 
IZATHA HEROICA. 
(Izatha heroica, Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., lvi., 396; Jzatha 
toreuma, Clarke, ib. 419.) 
(Plate Sox li. eS cien Somee.) 
This rather large, pale-looking species, was discovered 
by Mr. Philpott, at the Flora River, Mount Arthur. It 
has also occurred at Arthur’s Pass. 
The expansion of the wings of the male is almost 1} inches; 
of the female slightly over 14 inches. The fore-wings of the male 
are white, very sparsely strewn with a few pale grey scales, 
especially on the terminal third; the markings are small, black; 
two oblique bars on basal third of costa; three fine lines on basal 
half of fold; a fair-sized spot in disc beyond middle, preceded 
by two minute sub-costal spots; a small sub-costal spot at about 
2; two cloudy sub-terminal spots; a series of small spots around 

