Page:Transactions NZ Institute Volume 15.djvu/56

oblique; white, closely and finely irrorated with dark grey; generally a slight brownish or ochreous tinge along basal two-thirds of costa, sometimes extending over whole wing; sometimes a dark grey suffusion on middle of costa; a small dark fuscous elongate mark on inner margin close to base; a double indistinct dentate dark grey line from costa before middle to inner margin at ⅖, often wholly absent or obsolete; a dark grey circular ring in disc slightly beyond middle, in centre of which is a dark grey elongate dot, both often absent, or the dot only visible; a double often well-defined dentate dark grey line from costa at ⅘ to inner margin before anal angle, shortly angulated inwards immediately beneath costa, and outwards above middle, often wholly absent; a dark fuscous hindmarginal line; a row of from six to eight small black dots on hindmargin: cilia light shining-grey, more or less distinctly narrowly barred with white, with a darker grey line near base, and extreme base white. Hindwings ochreous-grey-whitish, hindmargin narrowly suffused with light fuscous-grey; cilia ochreous-whitish.

Very variable, but very distinct by the narrow wings, grey colouring, and entire absence of white markings or longitudinal streak.

Abundant on the hills round Christchurch in March; I have also seen specimens from Lake Guyon, which were somewhat larger, with the dark markings more intense.

Male.—26–27 mm. Head whitish, with a faint ochreous spot in middle of face, and posterior margin of eyes greyish-ochreous. Maxillary palpi white, towards base externally dark fuscous mixed with ochreous. Labial palpi moderate, fuscous-grey, internally and at base beneath snow-white. Antennæ dark fuscous. Thorax grey, with a whitish spot in middle of anterior margin. Abdomen grey-whitish, posteriorly suffused with pale ochreous. Legs light fuscous-grey, posterior pair more whitish. Forewings rather narrow, posteriorly dilated, costa slightly sinuate in middle, gently arched posteriorly, apex rounded, hindmargin moderately oblique, rounded; grey, very slightly brownish-tinged; a slender ill-defined central streak of white scales from base to beyond middle of disc, its extremity bent downwards and then sharply turned inwards to form a strong hook; upper edge of this streak margined by a very slender dark grey line, forming an abrupt spot on extremity, lower edge margined by a dark fuscous-grey streak, filling up the hook; a slender ill-defined sinuate longitudinal streak of white scales in disc from ⅓ to ⅔, its anterior extremity resting on upper margin of basal streak, its lower edge broadly and suffusedly margined with dark fuscous-grey until it touches basal streak, its upper edge marked with a dark fuscous dot before extremity, surrounded with a few whitish scales;