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Art. XII.—Descriptions of New Species of Lepidoptera.
[Read before the Otago Institute, 1st October, 1912.]
Hydriomenidae.
Tatosoma alta sp. nov.
♂♀. 25–30 mm. Head pale green. Antennae reddish-brown. Thorax green, mixed with ochreous. Abdomen ochreous-grey, becoming more ochreous on terminal segments; segmental divisions marked with black. Forewings triangular, costa moderately arched, termen obliquely rounded, faintly sinuate below middle; white, with numerous irregular pale-green transverse lines; subbasal line black, almost straight; first line black, interrupted in middle, bent posteriorly on dorsum where it is joined by a projection from subbasal; median band broad, furcate on costa and dorsum, anterior edge from before ½ to ½, posterior edge from ¾ to ⅘, black, thickly irrorated with reddish; a double subterminal line of the same colour, much interrupted, most pronounced beneath costa and above middle; a terminal series of paired black dots: cilia white, with dark median line and dark bars opposite paired dots. Hindwings pale fuscous-grey, darker posteriorly; lobe in ♂ ⅖: cilia grey.
In one ♂ the median band is hardly traceable, and there is a suffused yellow mark along lower median from vein 2 to origin of vein 3. This is also represented in other specimens by a few yellow scales.
Nearest to T. agrionata and T. tipulata. From the latter it is at once distinguished by the much larger lobe of the male, and from the former by the well-defined median band and the darker hindwings.
The only example of the female known at present was taken at Otira in December, 1908, by Mr. G. V. Hudson. It was captured in forest at about 1,260 ft. above sea-level. From the 24th to the 26th December, 1911, Mr. C. C. Fenwick took a good series of the male on Bold Peak, Humboldt Range, at an elevation of 4,000 ft. to 4,500 ft. They were all taken in the evening, being attracted by the camp-fire, and search during the day on the beech-trunks did not result in any captures. On the 27th December I found a worn male on The Hump in the stunted bush at about 3,000 ft. From these particulars it would seem probable that the species inhabits subalpme forests from about 1,000 ft. upwards. The rarity of the ♀ is somewhat unusual in this genus, other species showing about equal numbers in the sexes.
Xanthorhoe undulata sp. nov.
♂. 35 mm. Head ochreous. Antennae ochreous, shortly bipectmated. Thorax grey-brownish. Abdomen ochreous, with scattered black scales and a double black dot on the dorsal surface of each segment. Anterior legs black, annulated with ochreous. Forewings triangular, costa moderately arched posteriorly, apex obtuse, termen crenate, slightly rounded, oblique; brownish-ochreous; lines white; basal line thin, curved, anteriorly bordered
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with black scales, especially near dorsum; first line thin, irregularly indented, curved inwardly to approach basal line on dorsum; median band slightly darker; vein 1 with black blotch on anterior edge and smaller dot at posterior; vein 2 with large irregular black dot at origin; veins 2, 3, and 4 well marked in black from posterior edge to near centre of band; slight dark dashes on other veins at posterior edge; second line thin, with blunt double projection at middle; subterminal line waved, regular; a prominent black crenate terminal line; interneural terminal spaces thickly irrorated with white scales: cilia ochreous, with two brown lines. Hindwings with termen crenate, pale brownish-ochreous; a dark-brown central line, obsolete on costal half; indications of two or three other lines near termen; a prominent black crenate terminal line: cilia as in forewings.
Nearest to X. cedrinodes, but easily distinguished by the peculiar black marks on veins.
Tisbury, Invercargill; a single male, in August.
Selidosemidae.
Selidosema argentaria sp. nov.
♂ 31–36 mm.; ♀ 33–34 mm. Head and antennae grey. Thorax fuscousgrey. Abdomen white, thickly strewn with fuscous. Forewings triangular, costa moderately arched, termen slightly bent at middle; white, densely strewn with light fuscous; lines dark fuscous, all except subterminal more or less interrupted and obscure; subterminal dentate, almost straight, followed by a clear white line which is again followed by indications of another fuscous line; a terminal chain of small spots: cilia white, with some fuscous scales. Hindwings in male suboblong, dorsum obliquely rounded, termen rounded with blunt projection at middle; white, irrorated with pale fuscous towards termen: cilia white, with scattered fuscous scales.
Closely allied to S. fenerata Feld. From that species the male may at once be distinguished by the silver-grey colour of the forewings, there being no trace of ochreous. The hindwings are also somewhat different in shape, being less oblong, and the dorsum being rounded instead of angular. The female of S. argentaria can be distinguished from that sex in S. fenerata by the shorter and broader forewings; in the latter species these are unusually long. The colour and markings of the females of the two species approximate much more closely than do those of the males.
Invercargill, Wallacetown, Tuturau. Probably generally distributed throughout Southland. January to April; most abundant in the autumn at flowers of Senecio jacobaea.
Tortricidae.
Harmologa tributaria sp. nov.
♂. 25 mm. Antennae fuscous, annulated with whitish. Palpi reddish-brown, inner and upper surfaces white. Head and thorax dark reddish-brown mixed with grey. Abdomen fuscous-grey. Forewings suboblong, costa moderately arched, fold slight, termen rather oblique, rounded beneath; dark fuscous, densely strewn with reddish scales which tend to form a streak beneath costa from base to ½; a broad irregular pale-yellow streak from base to apex, basal ⅔ margined above and beneath with blackish, at ½ a thin tributary streak runs to tornus, thus enclosing a long triangular patch of
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ground-colour; some grey scales forming obscure interneural lines beneath apical half of costa: cilia grey, with an obscure darker line. Hindwings fuscous: cilia yellowish-white, with a fuscous basal line.
Not far removed from H. siraea, but the central pale streak is quite different and the termen is more oblique.
Discovered by Messrs. G. Howes and A. Hamilton at Obelisk, Old Man Range, Central Otago. Taken on the 2nd February.
Oecophoridae.
Izatha mira sp. nov.
♂. 21 mm. Head and thorax black sprinkled with whitish. Palpi, second joint black sprinkled with white, terminal joint white with black median band. Antennae fuscous, obscurely annulated with darker. Abdomen dark fuscous, margins of segments marked with ochreous-white. Fore-wings moderate, costa strongly arched, apex obtuse, termen straight, hardly oblique; black, densely sprinkled with pale bluish-white; markings black, rather obscure; a narrow basal patch extending a short distance on dorsum; an irregular fascia near base, outwardly strongly oblique to fold; a thick irregular fascia from costa at ⅓ almost to dorsum at ½; a similar obscure fascia at ⅔, touching dorsum; a series of obscure spots from costa at ¾ round termen to tornus: cilia fuscous, with occasional white scales. Hindwings dark fuscous, fading to grey anteriorly: cilia fuscous, with darker basal line.
Though superficially appearing to be abundantly distinct, the markings show this species to be near to I. picarella. The beautiful bluish tint of the forewings makes it one of the most handsome members of the genus.
I obtained one example on The Hump in December. Taken in forest at 3,000 ft.