AVIT—THE TINEIDAE. 321 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over 4 inch. The 
fore-wings are very narrow oblong, creamy-white very thickly 
sprinkled with purplish-brown scales except near the dorsum; 
tue disc is clouded with warm brown; there is a broad curved 
oblique dark brown band at about 4; a dark brown blotch on 
the dorsum before the middle and two or three longitudinal 
rows of elongate black dots, most conspicuous below the costa 
and on the fold; there is a reddish-brown line around the apex 
and an oblique whitish patch before the apex. The cilia are 
dark brown round the apex, whitish-brown elsewhere. The 
hind-wings are whitish grey, with whitish-brown cilia. 
The perfect insect appears in November, and seems 
mostly attached to forest near the sea coast. 
Described and figured from Mr, Philpott’s specimens. 
ZHLLERIA SPHENOTA. 
(Hofmanivia sphenota, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xxi., 162.) 
A single specimen of this species was found by Mr. 
Meyrick at Christchurch. 
The expansion of the wings of the male is slightly over 4 
inch. Legs fuscous, posterior pair ochreous-whitish. Fore-wings 
very elongate, very narrow, parallel-sided, long-pointed, acute; 
pale ochreous thinly and irregularly sprinkled with dark fuscous 
and whitish; basal half of costa dotted with black; a moder- 
ately-broad ill-defined cloudy-white streak along dorsum from 
base to tornus, pointed at extremities, interrupted at % by a 
small spot of ground-colour; a cloudy inwardly-oblique dark 
fuscous mark at 4 from near costa to near dorsum: cilia ochre 
ous-grey-whitish, round apex ochreous, with base white, a grey 
line, and three cloudy dark grey bars. Hind-wings pale whitish- 
grey; cilia ochreous-grey-whitish. 
The perfect insect appears in August. 
I am unacquainted with this species. The above is 
taken from the original description. 
Sub-family 12.—GRACILARIADES. 
Head with appressed scales. Antennae 1 or over 1. Labial 
palpi slender, ascending, tolerably pointed. Maxillary palpi mod- 
erate, filiform, porreeted. Fore-wings with vein 7 and 8 stalked 
or separate. Hind-wings lanceolate or linear. (Plate H., figs. 
27-29.) 
An extensive sub-family of general distribution. 
The insects comprised in this sub-family are amongst 
the most graceful of the Lepidoptera. The wings! are ex- 
tremely narrow and often brilliantly coloured; the 
antennae and legs very long‘ and slender and, in the 
typical genus Gracilaria, the tibiae of the middle pair of 
legs are thickened with a dense clothing of scales, which 
is probably a scent organ for purposes of sexual attrac- 
tion. The position assumed in repose is very remarkable, 
the head and anterior part of the body being elevated, 
the fore- and middle-legs stretched out a little sideways, 
and the posterior lees placed against the side of the 
abdomen. 
The sub-family is represented in New Zealand by the 
three following genera: 
1. ACROCERCOPS. 2. PARECTOPA. 
3. GRACILARIA, 
Genus 1—ACROCERCOPS, Wall. 
Middle tibiae not thickened; posterior tibiae with series of 
projecting bristly scales above. 
A large genus, principally developed in the Indo- 
Australian region. The larvae usually mine blotches in 
leaves. We have two species in New Zealand. 
ACROCERCOPS -CYANOSPILA. 
(Conopomorpha cyanospila, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xviii., 183.) 
(Plate XXXYV., fig. 14 9.) 
This rather sombre, though very elegant species, has 
occurred in the North Island at Taupo, Taranaki, Palm- 
erston North, Makotuku and Masterton, where it is stated 
to be common. It is an exceedingly rare insect in the 
neighbourhood of Wellington. In the South Island it has 
occurred at Picton, on D’Urville Island, and, at Motueka. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over 4 inch. The 
fore-wings are dark brown with numerous irregular scattered 
whitish spots, tending to form stripes; there is am irregular, 
transverse, white patch at about #% followed by a metallic blue 
line and a small metallic blue apical spot. The hind-wings are 
dark brownish-grey. 
I am informed by Dr. Myers, that the larva of this 
insect feeds concealed in the berries of the Titoki. 
(Alectryon excelsum.) 
The perfect insect appears in November, February 
and March, and frequents dense forest. Mr. Meyrick 
states that, in repose, the imago sits either with the fore- 
part raised as in Gracilaria, or closely appressed to sur- 
face, but with the four anterior legs laterally extended; 
the latter position is apparently the most habitual, serv- 
ing to conceal it on the tree-trunks, on which it usually 
sits. I can testify to the accuracy of this observation. 
ACROCERCOPS ZORIONELLA. 
(Parectopa zorionetla, Huds., Ent. Mo. Mag. liv., 62.) 
(PlaterxXcxeex yy, fies 55a). ) 
This very distinetly-marked species was discovered in 
the Botanical Gardens at Wellington. It has also occurred 
at Waitomo and on Mount Egmont up to 4,000 feet. 
The expansion of the wings is 3 inch. The fore-wings are 
elongate-oblong with the costa strongly arched; very dark 
brownish-black with very vivid steely-blue reflections; there is 
a large semi-circular silvery-white spot on the costa @ little be- 
yond the middle; an oblique silvery-white bar beyond ~ and two 
much smaller bars just before the apex; there are three minute 
silvery spots on the dorsum. The hind-wings are dull steely- 
erey. The cilia of the fore-wings are black of the hind-wings 
dark grey tinged with bronze towards the body. 
According to Mr. Morris N. Watt the larva mines the 
leaves of several species of Coprosma.* 
The perfect insect appears in November and frequents 
serub. The general wing-pattern in this insect somewhat 
approximates to that of Bascantis siremca (Plat 
XXXVIL, fig. 23), and both these species, when the wings 
are closed over the back, have a superficial resemblance to 
the brilliantly-coloured small longicorn beetle Zorion guttt- 
“Trans. N.Z. Inst., lii., 445. 

