

334 AXVIS_THE 
steely-blue markings on the termen and dorsum and very 
pale grey hind-wings. All forms, however, agree in hav- 
ing the cilia of the fore-wings tinged with coppery-red 
below the apex and two black apical tufts. 
The perfect insect appears in January and February, 
but is very rarely met with. It is most likely to be dis- 
covered by sweeping. The typical form seems to be at- 
tached to the Nikau Palm (Rhopalostylis sapida). In its 
markings and general appearance this insect strongly sug- 
gests certain species of Glyphipterys. . 
Genus 6.—ERECHTHIAS, Meyr. 
Head rough. Basal joint of antennae moderate. Labial 
palpi moderately long, more or less loosely scaled. Maxillary 
palpi long, folded. Fore-wings with vein 4 absent, 7 separate or 
stalked with 8. Hindwings lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate; 5 and 
6 stalked, 6 to costa. (Plate K., figs. 4, 5, 6 neuration and head 
of Hrechthias externella.) , 
A genus of some extent, most developed in the Indo- 
Malayan and Australian regions.. I regret when restrict- 
ing the genus Hrechthias to have misapplied the name to 
the following genus, overlooking the fact that the neural 
characters originally assigned to it only agree with this 
one. For this genus I have hitherto used the name Hreu- 
netis, but I now consider that Hreunetis (type wloptera 
Meyr.) must be maintained as a distinct genus, character- 
ized by having the cell of hind-wings open between veins 3 
and 4, and not represented in New Zealand. Decadarchis 
also does not occur in New Zealand. (Meyrick.) 
The eleven species included in this interesting genus, 
as well as those included in the allied genera, Hugennaea 
and Hectacma, are all very distinctly-marked insects and 
present little difficulty in their correct identification. The 
apex of the fore-wing is, in the living insect, bent over so 
that when the wings are closed there is a small projection 
or lappet on each side of the posterior extremity. On this 
lappet there is frequently an eye-like mark and also a 
dash, suggestive of a real eye and the basal portion of an 
antenna, the tips of the lappets standing for palpi. In 
addition to this unusual modification, the real head and 
thorax are very narrow so that the anterior portion of the 
insect tapers almost to a point. I think there is little 
doubt that this is an instance of protection by a ‘‘false 
head,’’ the lappets, with their eye-like marks, conveying 
the idea of a head and thus inducing an enemy to seize the 
fragile structure, the captive of course immediately break- 
ing away and sustaining but a trivial injury. The habit 
which these insects have of resting with the head down- 
wards further adds to the deception. Such special modi- 
fications are well-known in the case of many butterflies, 
but it is interesting to find a parallel case amongst the 
smaller Lepidoptera. 
Of the eleven species of Hrechthias found in New 
Zealand six are restricted to the North Island; one to the 
South Island, and four oeeur in both islands. 
TINEIDAE. 
ERECHTHIAS EXTERNELLA. 
(Glyphipteryx externella, Walk., Cat. xxx., 841; Decadarchis 
monastra, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xxili., 100; Hrechthias 
erebistis ib. xxiv., 220.) 
(Plate XXXVI, fig. 14 @; fig. 13 9.) 
This small, very dark-looking species is fairly common 
in the neighbourhood ot Wellington. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly under 4 inch. The 
fore-wings are elongate-oblong with the costa slightly arched 
and the tornus rounded; very deep purplish-black with coppery 
reflections; there are two indistinct darker transverse bands; 
a coppery crescentic mark near the apex, enclosing a paler, 
black-centred, eye-like spot which occupies the whole of the api- 
cal lappet; the entire wing is also irregularly strewn with bluish- 
white scales. The hind-wings are warm. brown, thickly speckled 
with black and with a black spot on the pointed apex. In the 
female the general colour of the fore-wings is considerably paler 
and browner; there is a very conspicuous ochreous-whitish patch 
on the costa beyond the middle and a smaller patch) of the same 
colour near the dorsum at about +. 
The perfect insect appears in October and frequents 
serub. It flies rapidly between 2 and 5 p.m., in the after- 
noon sunshine, and at such times its movements are ex- 
tremely hard. to follow. 
ERECHTHIAS LYCHNOPA. 
(Erechthias lychnopa, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., lvii., 702.) 
(Plate XL., fig. 8 @.) ; 
This species has occurred in wind-swept serub, near 
Sinclair Head, Wellington. 
The expansion of the wings is about 2 inch. The fore 
wings are elongate-elliptical with the apex turned upwards; 
black heavily sprinkled with bluish-white scales, paler near base 
(perhaps due to erosion); there is a large orange-brown apical 
patch containing a conspicuous eye-like black spot sprinkled with 
bluish-white scales; the cilia are black with conspicuous white 
line and apical tuft. The hind-wings are rich bronzy-brown with 
small eye-like mark at apex, obscurely margined with orange- 
brown; the cilia are black, with whitish line at apex and a 
distinet apical tuft. 
Very like FE. externella, but much larger than that 
species. 
The perfect insect appears in November. It is appar- 
ently a very rare insect confined to very exposed situa- 
tions where it should be looked for in calm, fine weather! 
ERECHTHIAS ACRODINA. 
(Hreunetis acrodina, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xliv., 122.) 
(Plate XXXVI., fig. 19 9.) 
This rather obscurely-marked species has occurred at 
Wellington, but is rather rare. It has also been found at 
Christchurch, Dunedin and the Bluff. 
The expansion of the wings is about % inch. The fore- 
wings are elongate with the costa moderately arched and the 
termen very obliquely rounded; pale brown; there is a very 
broad, cloudy, longitudinal blackish band from the base to the 
apex, terminating in a very distinct black spot ‘on the lappet; 
the costal area is irregularly clouded with black with the excep- 
tion of a clear oval pale brown patch near the middle and a 
wedge-shaped patch before the apex. The hind-wings are whit- 
ish-ochreous with a small tuft of blackish-brown cilia at the 
apex. 
Superficially this insect very closely resembles Erech- 
thias fulguritella, but may be distinguished from that spe- 



































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