Page:Transactions NZ Institute Volume 15.djvu/48

A very common and generally distributed species; taken at Hamilton, Wellington, Nelson, Mount Hutt, Akaroa, Christchurch, and Dunedin; probably universally common; in December, January, February, and April.

Doubleday's description is very clear and unmistakeable. Zeller, not being aware of this description, later described a totally different species of the genus from Europe under the same name, which cannot stand.

Male, female.—29–44 mm. Head white, sides of crown pale brownish-ochreous. Maxillary palpi white, towards base light brownish-ochreous. Labial palpi very long, white, externally light brownish-ochreous. Antennæ whitish-fuscous. Thorax pale brownish-ochreous, with a broad white central longitudinal stripe, and margins of shoulders very narrowly white. Abdomen and legs ochreous-whitish. Forewings elongate, narrow, in female very narrow, not dilated posteriorily, costa in male moderately, in female slightly arched, apex in male very strongly, in female moderately produced, acute, hindmargin sinuate, very oblique; very pale dull ochreous; all veins on upper half of wing broadly suffused with white, nearly confluent, so that the whole costal half appears whitish; a rather broad white streak along inner margin from base to anal angle, suffusedly margined above at base with dark fuscous, and bordered on inner marginal edge by a slender fuscous streak from ⅓ to anal angle, strongest in middle: cilia white. Hindwings white, sometimes slightly ochreous-tinged; cilia white.

Very distinct by its large size, narrow forewings, produced apex, and the white suffusion of the forewings leaving only a narrow longitudinal submedian band of the ochreous ground-colour. Zeller is certainly wrong in referring this species to Chilo on superficial grounds, since in venation it is a true Crambus, and its peculiarities of appearance are only exaggerations of essentially similar points in C. ramosellus, which is its nearest ally.

Not uncommon in the neighbourhood of Christchurch in December, January, and March, frequenting undoubtedly the toi-grass (Arundo conspicua).

Zeller's name has the priority, having been published 1st April, 1877, whilst Butler's does not appear to have been read until 1st May in the same year.

Male, female.—28–32 mm. Head white, sides of crown and anterior margin of eyes brownish-ochreous. Maxillary palpi white, towards base ochreous-fuscous. Labial palpi moderately long, rather dark ochreous-fuscous, white internally and beneath at base. Antennæ dark fuscous.