



























































LINDERA TESSELLATELLA. 
(Lindera tessellatella, Blanch., Faun. Chil. vii., 106 (1852); 
bogotatella, Walk. Cat. xxix., 785 (1864) Setpmorpha catl- 
cularis, Meyr., Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Austr., 1906, 66.) 
(Plate, Li, fig, 2424.) 
This species has occurred at Nelson and Wanganui. 
The expansion of the wings of the male is almost 1 inch; 
of the female 1} inches. The fore-wings are dull whitish-ochre- 
ous with several large dull-grey spots in the dise and one below 
the apex; there is a Series of small grey spots around costa and 
termen. The hind-wings are pale slaty-grey. All the cilia are 
dull whitish-ochreous. 
The larva feeds on refuse. 
The perfect insect is evidently domestic in its habits. 
It has been taken in January, April, May, June and De- 
eember. Mr. Philpott informs me that it is now not un- 
common at Nelson. <A description of the genitalia of this 
insect appears in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society 
of New South Wales, vol. 50, part 2, pp. 32-34. 
Genus 19—TITANOMIS, Meyr. 
Head shortly rough-haired; tongue well developed. Labial 
palpi moderate, subascending, second joint shortly rough-scaled 
beneath, terminal joint short, stout. Maxillary palpi long, 
folded. Thorax with slight crest, densely short-haired beneath. 
Fore-wings with veins 3 and 4 stalked, 7 to termen. Hind-wings 
over 1, oblong-ovate. 
An endemic genus of exceptional interest. It contains 
two species, the largest Tineids we have in New Zealand. 
TITANOMIS SISYROTA. 
(Titanomis sisyrota, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xx., 104.) 
(Plate XXV., fig. 28 9.) 
This very interesting species may be recognised by its 
gigantic size as, with the exception of tha next species, no 
other New Zealand Tineid approaches it in this respect. 
It is extremely rare and uncertain in its appearance. The 
earliest capture definitely recorded was made by Mr. Helms 
at Greymouth in December, 1874, and specimens were 
taken at Nelson, probably about the same time. The type 
specimen in Mr. Meyrick’s collection was captured in Nel- 
son in 1882; specimens were also taken in Blenheim in 
1883, at Otaki in 1886, at Nelson in 1898, and at Haldane, 
Southland, in 1900. Nothing was again heard of the in- 
sect until February 1921, when a fine female specimen was 
taken at light by Mrs. H. Hamilton at Rangataua, near the 
base of Mount Ruapehu. 
The expansion wf the wings of the male is 24 inches, of the 
female 24 inches.’ The fore-wings of the female are oblong, with 
the costa slightly arched, the apex rounded and the termen 
slightly oblique; greyish-black; there is a very broad wavy 
speckled whitish band along the termen and dorsum; a black 
stripe along the fold; a second black stripe above this traversing 
the disc; several short black stripes on the veins near the apex; 
an oval white spot on the fold and a smaller round white spot 
in the dise beyond the middle. The hind-wings are dark grey. 
In the collection of New Zealand Lepidoptera formed 
by the late Mr. A. P. Buller and now in the Dominion 
Museum, there is a male specimen of this insect. It is un- 
fortunately in a very damaged condition, but appears to 
indicate that the general colouring in the male is consid- 
; 
XVIT—THE TINEIDAE. 
erably paler than in the female, with a much more exten- 
sive area of pale grey and white scales, especially on the 
dorsum. There is a distinet blackish streak in the middle 
of the wing from the base to 4 and a less distinct streak 
below the costa from about 4+ to 3. No record of the cap- 
ture of this specimen exists and, so far as I am aware, it 
is the only male extant. 
The perfect insect appears from December till March, 
and all the specimens, of which records have been pre- 
served, were captured at light. 
TITANOMIS. TETRAGONA. 
(Titanomis tetragona, Huds., Ent. Mo. Mag., liv., 62.) 
(Plate XLIV., fig: 18' 4.) 
With the exception of the last species, this handsome 
insect is the largest Tineid at present known in New Zea- 
land. It was discovered on Mount Egmont in January 
1917, at an altitude of about 3,000 feet above the, sea-level. 
The expansion of the wings of the male is fully 24 inches. 
The fore-wings are oblong with the costa strongly arched; deep 
purplish-brown obscurely mottled with darker and with faint 
broney reflections; there is a large irregular patch of paler 
scales in the dise near the base; a large dull whitish triangular 
patch on the tornus, its apex almost reaching the costa; this 
patch is thickly streaked with grey; the terminal area is clouded 
with'warm purplish-brown; there is a very conspicuous, almost 
square, pinkish-ochreous blotch on the aosta immediately before 
the apex. The hind-wings are pale ochreous very. heavily dappled 
with grey. All the cilia are ochreous with pale greyish-brown 
basal line and tips. The head is ochreous, the thorax pale purp- 
lish-brown and the abdomen dark greyish-ochreous. 
The perfect insect appears in January and may be 
looked for in sub-alpine forests. It is attracted by light. 
Deseribed and figured from the unique specimen in 
Mr. Watt’s collection. 
Genus 20—TALEPORIA, Hiibn. 
Head rough. Labial palpi moderate, porrected. Maxillary 
palpi obsolete. Fore-wings with vein 7 to termen, 7 and 8 some- 
times stalked. Hind-wings elongate-ovate, 2-7 separate. Female 
apterous. . 
A small European genus of which three species are 
known in New Zealand. The larvae feed on lichens. 
TALEPORIA APHROSTICHA. 
(Taleporia aphnosticha, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., xliv., 123.) 
(Plate XXXIX., igi 7 2.) 
This very interesting species was discovered by Mr. 
Philpott on the Hump Ridge, Southland, at an elevation 
of about 3,500 feet. 
The expansion of the wings is slightly over '$ inch. The 
fore-wings are dull greyish-ochreous, finely mottled with darker 
grey; there is a large irregular white blotch in the middle of 
dorsum, and several roundish spots on each side of this; two 
almost confluent white spots in disc above middle; a Series of 
round spots along termen and apical third of costa; all the white 
markings are more or less strongly margined with blackish, 
especially those towards dorsum; the cilia are pale ochreous, 
barred with blackish-grey. The hind-wings are dull greyish- 
ochreous, with golden reflections towards the margins. 
The female is stated to be apterous, 


