Genus Melanchra Hubn.

Melanchra meridiana n.sp. Plate 1, Figs. 1-3.

Expanse of the forewings, 35 mm.

General colouration: a dull rusty-brown on the forewing, medium to dark brown on the hindwings. Head, thorax and patagia rusty-brown intermingled with deep ochreous scales, especially on the top of the head; antennae filiform, dark brown with very fine short ochreous cilia; palps deep ochreous; abdomen medium to dark brown fringed with ochreous or rusty-brown coloured cilia. Thorax, abdomen ventrally, and legs pale rosy-brown, the tarsi ochreous. Forewing sometimes more or less mottled with ochreous towards the base, along the basal half of the costa, and in the region below the reniform; in perfect specimens some greenish-yellow shading along the dorsum, around the edges of the orbicular and the reniform and along the outer edge of the subterminal line; the verns picked out with black scales dotted with white, the costa with 5-7 dull black bars; basal streak absent; claviform, if present, an indistinct shading of black and ochreous scales; orbicular clear, of light ochreous scales usually outlined with a narrow band of black enclosed by a further narrow but broken band of ochreous; reniform large, dark brown or black usually speckled with white and outlined by a narrow ochreous band; apical patch obscure, dull purplish brown speckled with white scales; basal line, first line and second line generally absent though sometimes indicated by irregular dark brown shadings; subterminal line clear, following the outline of the termen as a narrow white or ochreous band often edged with dark brown inwardly and greenish yellow outwardly. Cilia of the forewings either deep ochreous or reddish-brown tipped with ochreous, banded with dark brown; cilia of the hindwings paler ochreous prominently banded with dark brown. Underneath, the forewings are ochreous with a broad median longitudinal shading of dark brown, the hindwings ochreous speckled with dark brown, with a broad line of dark brown extending, in the position of the second line, across both wings.

Type and seven Paratypes in the Dominion Museum Collections.

Locality. Portobello and Dunedin, where it was collected during September, 1940-45 by the late George Howes.

This moth was shown to me by George Howes, who considered it to be new, in 1945, shortly before he died. I can now confirm his view and place the species close to M. morosa. It differs from morosa by having the subterminal line almost straight without any indentations towards the termen, as occurs in morosa, and through the veins being outlined in black, a feature which is not present in M. morosa.

Melanchra boldensis n.sp. Plate 1, Figs. 4-5.

Expanse of the forewings, 41 mm.

General colouration: Reddish ochreous on the forewings very conspicuously banded with black and dark brown lines and spots; dark rosy brown on the hindwings; the body dark purplish brown underneath, paler rosy brown above, with patches of bright orange scales on the sides and top of the head and the top of the thorax; some ochreous shading on the

sides and top of the abdomen, particularly around the basal region; the crest and patagia of the thorax very dark rosy-brown with the shoulders picked out with light reddish ochreous and silver scales; legs dark purplish brown; antennae filiform, dark brown. Forewings with 3-4 broad wavy black lines forming a median shade; the second line black, double outlined, scalloped between the veins and swept back towards the wing base, below the reniform. To turn again towards the tornus just before it reaches the dorsum; subterminal line parallel to the termen, ochreous enclosed inwardly by broad black shading and outwardly by a narrow black line; the space between the subterminal line and the cilia especially towards the tornus shaded with dark purple-brown spotted with patches of ochreous or orange coloured scales; a conspicuous oval-shaped black patch on the dorsum near the base; basal streak, basal and first lines absent, though the inner line edging the median shade may represent the first line; orbicular rather indistinct, pale in colour, edged with a narrow band of black but obscured by the lines of the median shade; reniform conspicuously shaded with pale ochreous or white scales and outlined with a narrow band of black; apical patch obscure, undifferentiated; veins outlined with black; cilia of the forewings dark reddish-brown barred with darker brown; cilia of the hindwings pale rosy-ochreous banded basally with dark brown.

Type and Paratype in the Dominion Museum Collections.

Locality. Collected by the author on Bold Peak, Lake Wakatipu, in mid-February. Captured at sugar at the upper limit of the bush line late at night.

This species is near to M. ochthistis but its markings are much more distinct and heavier. The subterminal line is more heavily indented than in ochthistis and returned towards the tornus instead of passing straight to the dorsum as in M. ochthistis. Further, the orbicular in ochthistis, even in the darkest specimens, is not covered by lines of the median shade, as occurs in this species.