Page:Transactions NZ Institute Volume 15.djvu/67

Male, 12–15 mm; female, 15–16 mm.—Head, palpi, and thorax in male whitish-ochreous, ochreous, fuscous, or grey, in female whitish-ochreous; palpi elongate. Antennæ whitish-ochreous or greyish, in male sharply annulated with dark fuscous. Abdomen whitish-ochreous or grey. Legs varying from whitish to dark fuscous. Forewings in male triangular, moderate, costa moderately arched, somewhat bent in middle, hindmargin almost straight, rather oblique; in female rather oblong, dilated posteriorly, costa strongly arched towards base, sinuate beyond middle, apex somewhat produced, hindmargin somewhat sinuate, rather oblique; in male pale whitish-ochreous, whitish-grey, ochreous, fuscous, or dark fuscous-grey, more or less distinctly strigulated or reticulated with darker; in female whitish-ochreous, reticulated with darker ochreous; one whitish-grey male has posterior half of wing reddish-fuscous, and one grey male has whole wing except basal patch suffused with blackish-grey; outer edge of basal patch, central fascia, and costal spot generally ochreous-fuscous or fuscous, more or less distinctly darker than ground-colour, but sometimes wholly obsolete in male; outer edge of basal patch in male from ¼ of costa to ¼ of inner margin, sharply angulated above middle, in female irregular, from ¼ of costa obliquely outwards, angulated above middle, thence irregularly concave, ending in middle of inner margin; central fascia rather narrow, straight, from middle of costa to inner margin before anal angle, generally obsolete beneath, posterior edge dilated outwards into an abrupt suffused projection above middle; costal spot in male roundish, sometimes produced as a fascia to anal angle, in female flattened semi-oval, often confluent with projection of central fascia; costal space between central fascia and costal spot often conspicuously paler than ground-colour: cilia in male whitish or whitish-ochreous, basal half blackish-grey, sometimes almost wholly blackish-grey, in female whitish-ochreous, towards base dark ochreous-fuscous. Hindwings in male varying from grey-whitish to dark grey, when light spotted with darker, cilia paler, with a darker basal line; in female white, apex very faintly ochreous-tinged, cilia white.

The variability of this species is extraordinary, the sexes being also very different, and the various forms can hardly be included in a single description. From the preceding species the female is immediately distinguishable by the white hindwings and different form, the male by the conspicuous dark basal half of the cilia of forewings, the usually perceptible basal patch and costal spot, and the much smaller size.

Larva moderate, cylindrical, slightly tapering at both ends; pale greyish-green, spots concolorous; head pale greyish-ochreous, lateral margins dark fuscous, mouth spotted with dark fuscous; second segment greenish-whitish, with an ochreous-tinged dorsal plate; anal segment greenish-whitish, with a