



















































a i lc Sn cc a ie 

310 XVIL—THE 
The expansion of the wings is Slightly over § inch. The 
fore-wings are oblong, brownish-straw-colour with faint white 
transverse blotches on basal and apical thirds; a small black 
curved mark on costa beyond middle; a large black spot in dise 
below this; a similar spot in middle of dorsum; these markings 
are irregularly bordered with silver towards termen; a black 
mark on costa near apex, followed by a conspicuous silvery sub- 
terminal line, and @a small black tornal mark; cilia greyish- 
white with faint blackish bars at apex and above tornus. The 
hind-wings are uniform brownish-black, darker towards termen; 
the cilia are white with a dark grey line. The antennae are 
black faintly ringed with white. The head is pale grey; the 
thorax brownish-straw-colour; the abdomen blackish barred with 
greyish-white. 
The perfect insect appears in January. 
Described and figured from specimen supplied by Mr. 
Clarke. 
; SIMAETHIS. BARBIGHRA. 
(Simdethis barbigera, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xlvii., 203.) 
(Plate sxcLa fic. 13 ee) 
This very distinct and interesting species was discoy- 
ered by Mr. Philpott on Mount Cleughearn, Hunter Moun- 
tains. It has also occurred on the Hump Range and on 
Bold Peak, Lake Wakatipu, at elevations ranging from 
3,000 to 4,000 feet above the sea-level. ; 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over % inch. The 
fore-wings are rather broad oblong with the apex rounded and 
the termen bowed and slightly oblique; dark bronzgy-greyish- 
brown with several very irregular transverse lines formed of 
chains of white scales; there is a conspicuous white discal dot 
beyond the middle and beyond this a very distinct transverse 
line, very strongly bowed outwards in the middle; outside this 
line there are a few scattered white scales. The hind-wings are 
dull grey with one or two elongate patches of white scales near 
the middle of the termen. 
Apparently variable in respect of the extent of the 
scattered white markings, especially on the terminal areas. 
The perfect insect appears in December and January, 
and is abundant on the open mountain side. 
I-am indebted to Mr. Philpott for specimens. 
SIMAETHIS NIVESCENS. 
(Simaethis nivescens, Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., lvi., 397.) 
(Plate LII., fig. 24 9.) 
This species, which seems to be very closely allied to 
Simaethis barbigera, was discovered by Mr. Philpott on 
Mount Arthur, at an elevation of 4,500 feet above the sea- 
level. 
The expansion of the wings is 3 inch. The fore-wings are 
bronzy-black with very pale bluish-white markings; the basal 
third is very thinly and irregularly strewn with bluish-white 
scales; the ground colour persists on a broad median band, with 
the exception of a well-marked bluish-white discal spot; there 
is a very strongly angulated transverse line with a small loop 
on the dorsum; beyond this the wing is heavily sprinkled with 
bluish-white scales, except near the transverse line close to 
costa and dorsum; the extreme terminal area is clear of whitish 
scales. The hind-wings are very pale bronzy-brown, darker to- 
wards the termen; there are two irregular bands of whitish 
scales; the upper reaching from tornus towards dise at about 
%, the lower band being shorter and less defined. All the cilia 
are whitish with two bronzy-black lines, 



TINEIDAE. 
The perfect insect appears in January and may be 
looked for amongst rough herbage on the mountain side. 
Described and figured from a specimen submitted by 
Mr. Philpott. 
SIMAETHIS TILLYARDI. 
(Simaethis tillyardi, Philp., Trans. N.Z. Inst., lv., 666.) 
(Plate LL, fiz, 22 9.) 
This very distinct species was discovered by Dr. Till- 
yard at Mount Cook, at an altitude of 2,500 feet above the 
sea-level. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly under ? inch. The 
fore-wings, which have the apex strongly falcate, are very pale 
whitish-grey, with blackish-grey markings; there is a cloudy 
transverse line near the base; another at about 4 expanded into 
a cloudy spot in the middle; a very large blotch composed of 
blackish streaks is situated in the disc before the tornus and 
contains a few silvery-metallic scales; several small costal 
marks above this; the apical third is clouded with blackish-grey 
and densely sprinkled with bluish-white scales, except on a sinu- 
ate line, extending from the costa near the apex almost as far 
as the tornus. The hind-wings are very pale grey, darker to- 
wards the termen, where there is a very dense sprinkling of 
biluish-white scales; a very faint, broad, winding whitish line 
traverses the hind-wing from above middle to tornus. All the 
cilia are whitish with grey tips and grey basal line. 
The perfect insect was taken in March. 
Described and figured from the unique specimen 
kindly submitted by Mr. Philpott. 
Genus 5—CHOREUTIS, Hibn. 
Labial palpi with second joint roughly tufted, terminal 
joint slender, pointed. Fore-wings with vein 7 to termen. 
Chiefly American and Indo-Malayan, ranging into 
Australia and Europe. 
Represented in New Zealand by one cosmopolitan 
species. 
CHOREUTIS BJERKANDRELLA. 
(Choreutis bjerkandrella, Thunb., Diss. Ent. i., 36, pl. iii., 23, 
24; Meyr. Handbook, Brit. Lep., 706; Proc. Linn. Soc. 
N.S.W., 1880, 215.) 
(Plate XXXIIL., fig. 27.) 
Although confined to very restricted spots this dark, 
silver-spotted, little insect has occurred in many localities 
both in the North Island and northern part of the South 
Island. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over % inch. The 
fore-wings are broadly triangular with the apex somewhat 
rounded and the termen oblique; dark bronzy-brown with strong 
golden reflections; there are two irregular whitish transverse 
bands at about 4 and 3; two dark blotches with gleaming silvery 
centres beyond the middle of the dise and one near the middle 
of the dorsum; there are also several small silver spots on the 
costal area; the hind-wings are bronzy-grey with an elongate 
white blotch below the middle; the cilia of all the wings are 
dark grey with a white line. 
This insect varies considerably in the depth of the — 
colouring, extent of whitish markings, and number of sil- 
ver spots, 
The larva feeds on thistles (Cardwus) and other Com- 
positae. It is green, yellower laterally with black spots 
and a brown head. 
