AVII.—THE 
The perfect insect appears from December till March. 
Mr. Meyrick states that it is common in Hastern Australia, 
where the imago is on the wing most of the year, frequent- 
ing the neighbourhood of cultivation. It is also found in 
India and most probably was originally introduced into 
New Zealand by artificial means. When at rest it stands 
on the tips of its tarsi with the fore-part raised and the 
wings touching the ground; the antennae are extended 
forwards, almost straight and slightly divergent. 
PLUTELLA ANTIPHONA. 
(Plutella antiphona, Meyr., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1901, 576.) 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over 4 inch. The 
fore-wings are elongate, rather narrow, long-pointed; pale whit- 
ish-ochreous with longitudinal rows of small ochreous spots; 
dorsal half wholly fuscous mized with blackish, upper edge 
somewhat irregular, running from base of costa to apex of wing; 
cilia ochreous-whitish, on costa spotted with brownish irrora- 
tion, on termen brownish-suffused, with blackish line. Hind- 
wings with veins 5 and 6 stalked; grey; cilia light greyish- 
ochreous. 
I am unable to trace any specimen of this species in 
any collection in the Dominion. The above is abridged 
from Mr. Meyrick’s original description, made from a sin- 
gle specimen, taken at Wellington about thirty years ago, 
and apparently not since met with. 
PLUTELLA PSAMMOCHROA. 
(Plutella psammochroa, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xviii., 179.) 
(Plate SEX XVIe; fie. 110) a.) 
This rather dull-coloured species has occurred at the 
Otira River and on Ben Lomond, Lake Wakatipu, at an 
altitude of about 2,000 feet. 
The expansion of the wings is about 3? inch. The fore-wings 
are elongate oblong with the apex acute and the termen 
obliquely-concave; pale ochreous-brown and glossy; there are 
four very small blackish marks in the fold, near the middle; 
one or two thicker marks before the tornus and several scat- 
tered minute black dots in the disc; the veins near the termen 
are faintly marked with greyish-ochreous. The hind-wings are 
very pale whitish-ochreous. 
The perfect insect appears from November till Janu- 
ary, and frequents open country on the mountain side. 
This species is also found in Eastern Australia. 
Described and figured from a specimen in the Fere- 
day collection. 
PLUTELLA MACULIPENNIS. 
(Plutella maculipennis, Curt. Brit. Ent. pl. eccexx.; Plutella 
cruciferarum, Z.; Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xviii., 177.) 
CEIATE BXOXOKOV le oars Ameen O 5) 
This destructive insect appears to be very common 
and generally distributed in gardens throughout the coun- 
try. It is especially abundant in the Nelson District. It 
has also oceurred on Enderby Island in the Auckland 
Islands. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over 4 inch. The 
antennae are ringed with black near the middle and apex. The 
fore-wings are rather narrow, with the apex acute in the male, 
and the termen oblique; brown often purplish-tinged, paler in 
female; the male has a broad cream-coloured dorsal streak from 
TINEIDAE. : 331 
base to near tornus, often edged with black towards disc; in 
the female this stripe is much less distinct and often merged 
in the general ground colour; there is a series of indistinct 
black dots below the costa and another series on the dorsum. 
The hind-wings are grey. 
There is much variation in the depth of the colouring 
of the fore-wings in both sexes. In the female the paler 
dorsal streak is frequently almost interrupted by large 
rounded projections from the darker discal area. Other 
specimens are much suffused with ochreous-brown. 
The larva is green, feeding on cabbages and other 
Cruciferae, to which it is often very destructive, eating 
the leaves into numerous small holes. 
The pupa is enclosed in an open network cocoon, usu- 
ally attached to the undersurface of a leaf. 
The perfect insect appears from August till April, 
being commonest during the late summer and autumn. It 
is now found almost throughout the world and its wide dis- 
tribution is probably largely due to human agency. When 
at rest the antennae are held in contact straight out in 
front, the fore- and intermediate legs extended and the 
wings closed along the sides of the body. The peculiar 
position of the antennae, which are conspicuous, give the 
insect a very unreal appearance. 
Genus 9.—CIRCOXENA, Meyr. 
Head smooth, rounded; ocelli distinct; tongue developed. 
Antennae #, basal joint very long, slender, thickened towards 
apex, with slight pecten. Labial palpi very long, slender, re- 
curved, terminal joint longer than second, acute. Maxillary 
palpi very short, filiform, porrected. Posterior tibiae with rough 
projecting hair-scales above. Forewings with vein 1b apparently 
simple, 2 from #, 3 from angle, 3-5 somewhat approximated at 
base, 7 and 8 long-stalked, 7 to costa,-9 and 10 rather approxi- 
mated to 8 at base, 11 from middle. Hind-wings under 1, lanceo- 
late, cilia 14; 3 and 4 connate, 5 and 6 stalked, 7 parallel. 
(Plate A., figs. 7, 8 and 9 neuration and head of Circorena 
ditrocha.) 
A singular form, structurally nearest to Acrolepva, 
but quite peculiar in appearance, and very interesting. 
Represented by a single endemic species. 
CIRCOXENA DITROCHA. 
(Circoxena ditrecha, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xlviii., 419.) 
(Plate DOSOVAU Ls, wiles, ISS) 
This beautiful and very distinetly-marked little spe- 
cies has occurred at Auckland, several localities around 
Wellington and at Dunedin. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over 2 inch. The 
fore-wings are narrow, elliptical with the apex acute; brownish- 
ochreous with golden reflections; the dorsum is shaded with 
dark brownish-black and, except on the basal third, the entire 
wing is broadly streaked with dark brownish-black, only patches 
of the ochreous ground colour remaining visible; there are two 
large clear ‘white fine ring-shaped markings, the first slightly 
before the middle, the second a litile beyend the middle, the two 
being connected by indistinct white markings; in some speci- 
mens the entire central area of the fore-wings, outside the two 
ring-like marks, is clouded with white, thus making the dark 
colouring inside the rings very conspicuous; the cilia are pale 
brownish-ochreous mixed with blackish. The hind-wings, which 


