XVII—THE TINEIDAE, 323 
obsolete; about six oblique blackish bars on the costa and three 
or four much paler brownish bars on the dorsum; the cilia are 
grey becoming white round the apex, with two blackish lines 
and a more or less distinct blackish apical hook. The hind- 
wings are pale grey with grey cilia. 
There is considerable variation in size, in the general 
depth of the colouring and in the extent of the pale brown 
and blackish markings. In some forms the dark bars on 
the costa are reduced in number; in others the whole of 
the wing is more less densely speckled with blackish, except 
on certain spaces between the costal and dorsal bars which 
are thus transformed into white blotches or bars. Taken 
apart some of these extreme forms might readily be classed 
as distinct species, but in view of the intermediate forms 
which occur they can only be regarded as varieties. 
According to Mr. Morris N. Watt the larva mines the 
leaves of Nothopanax arboreum, N. Sinclairii and, N. sim- 
plex.* 
The perfect insect appears in September, December, 
January and February, and is found in forests, from the 
sea-level to an elevation of about 3,000 feet. Although 
widely distributed it does not appear to be a very common 
species. 
PARECTOPA MINIELLA. 
(Coriscium niniellum, Feld., pl. exl. 42; Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 
xxi. 185; Gracilaria ethela, Meyr., Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 
1880, 152; Macarostola miniella, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 
xli. 14). 
(Plate XXXV., fig. 8 type; fig. 9 variety.) 
This exquisite little species, which is probably the 
most magnificently coloured insect in New Zealand, has 
been taken at Kaeo, Hamilton, Taranaki, Palmerston North 
and Wellington. It is a very local species, though some- 
times fairly plentiful in the far north. At present no 
specimens have been recorded from the South Island. 
The expansion of the wings is about 4 inch. The fore-wings 
are pale yellow, darker towards the dorsum; there is a brilliant 
crimson wavy central streak from the base to the apex, con- 
nected with both costa and dorsum near the base, and with the 
dorsum only, by threé broad bars, at 4+, 4+ and 3; there is a large 
crimson spot at the apex containing a small black spot and a 
much larger white spot. The hind-wings are pale crimson with 
grey cilia on the costa; the rest of the cilia are pale crimson. 
A variety occurs in which all the crimson colouring is 
replaced by pale brown, margined with darker brown. 
The perfect insect appears from January to March 
and in June, frequenting the depths of the forest. In his 
original descriptiont of this exceedingly beautiful insect 
Mr. Meyrick justly remarks as follows: ‘‘I took seven very 
perfect specimens (six typical, one of the variety) amidst 
dense growth in the swampy virgin forest near Hamilton, 
on the Waikato, in January, mostly under tree-ferns. New 
Zealand insects are usually rather sombre; and I shall not 
easily forget the emotion with which, in the depths of the 
forest shades, I saw this lovely insect, whose ethereally 
pure hues cause it to be one of the most wonderful mani- 
_ ~*~ # Trans. N.Z. Inst., lit, 449-463. 
+Proec, Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1880, 153. 

festations of the beauty of nature.’’ In a subsequent des- 
eriptiont he adds: ‘‘The variety occurs with the type, but 
much more scantily in the proportion of about one to fif- 
teen.’’ 
yenus 3.—GRACILARIA, Haw. 
Middle tibiae thickened with dense scales; posterior tibiae 
without bristly scales. (Plate H., figs. 27, 28, 29 neuration and 
head of Gracilaria linearis.) 
A large genus, universally distributed. There are 
five species in New Zealand. One is confined to the North 
Island; one to the South Island, and three occur in both 
islands. 
GRACILARIA LINEARIS. 
(Gracilaria linearis, Butl., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1877, 406, pl. 
xliii, 16; Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xxi. 183; ib., xliii. 67). 
(Plate XXXV., fig. 6 4.) 
This rather variable species appears to be common and 
generally distributed throughout the country. 
The expansion of the wings is 4 inch. The fore-wings are 
elongate and very narrow; dull yellowish-brown with purplish- 
brown markings and faint purplish reflections; there are several 
spots on the costa; two long chains of minute black dots, one 
series below the costa, the other series above the dorsum. The 
hind-wings are very pale greyish-ochreous faintly tinged with 
ochreous-brown towards the apex. There is considerable varia- 
tion. Some specimens have three, more or less distinct, large 
pale spots on the costa. In others the fore-wings are clouded 
with purplish-brown except a pale streak along the dorsum. 
The perfect insect appears from October till Febru- 
ary, and frequents forests where it is sometimes very 
abundant, especially about midsummer. 
GRACILARIA ELAEAS., 
(Gracilaria elaeas, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xliii. 66.) 
(Plate XXXV., fig. 3 @.) 
This species, which is very similar to the last, has oe- 
eurred at Chnistchurch, Castle Hill West Coast Road, Ida 
Valley Central Otago, Ben Lomond, Lake Wakatipu, and 
the Hunter Mountains. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over 4 inch. The 
fore-wings are ochreous with brassy reflections; there are two 
rows of black dots running parallel with the costa and dorsum 
and an obscure silvery streak in the dise. The hind-wings are 
dark grey with grey cilia. 
According to Mr. Meyrick the larva has fourteen legs, 
is moderately stout, cylindrical, tapering at both ends; 
dull grey-greenish or grey-yellowish; the dorsal line is 
darker; the sub-dorsal line broad grey or obsolete and the 
head and plate on second segment dark brown. It feeds 
between spun-together leaves or shoots of tutu (Coriaria) 
in January. The larva habit is most unusual and the 
food-plant highly poisonous. 
The perfect insect appears from November till Feb- 
ruary, and is found in open, or scrubby, places where its 
foodplant abounds. It has been taken on mountain slopes 
to 3,500 feet above the sea-level. 


WPrangsaN.2, INSt., xk. 8b, 
PS - . ‘ 

