Page:Transactions NZ Institute Volume 15.djvu/68
small ochreous-tinged plate. Feeds in a light silken tube amongst spun-together leaves of Genista in garden hedges. Pupa in a thin firm white silken cocoon in same place. Probably the larva is polyphagous, the food-plant not being native.
Occurs commonly at Christchurch, Nelson, Dunedin, Wellington, and Auckland, in January, and again in March and April; during the latter months I also found the larvæ feeding, from which imagos emerged in April. The species flies abundantly over its food-plant for a short time about sunset, and I have also taken it at light. It is to be regretted that I should have fallen into the error of adding to the already too numerous synonyms of the species, misled by its extreme variability. I was also wrong in imagining the existence of a thoracic crest, often a difficult character to observe; the species is therefore not referable to Pyrgotis.
5. Proselena, Meyr.
Thorax smooth. Antennæ in male shortly ciliated. Palpi moderate, porrected, second joint triangularly scaled. Forewings in male with costa simple. Hindwings broader than forewings. Forewings with 12 veins, 7 and 8 separate, 7 to hindmargin. Hindwings with 8 veins, 3 and 4 separate at origin, 5 parallel or approximated at base to 4, 6 and 7 stalked.
Differs from the preceding genera by the separation of veins 7 and 8 of the forewings, from Harmologa by the absence of the costal fold, from Tortrix by the separation of veins 3 and 4 of the hindwings. I have thought it best to widen the original definition of this genus, (founded on a single species), by not insisting on the parallelism of veins 3, 4, 5 of the hindwings; these differ much in relative direction, but the differences are probably incapable of definition, and insufficient for generic distinction. As thus established the genus includes two described Australian species, (I have a third unpublished), and three are now added to it from New Zealand, of which number one was formerly erroneously referred to Tortrix.
These three species may be thus tabulated:—
| A. Forewings whitish-grey | 7. aspistana. |
| B. Forewings„ ochreous. | |
| 1. Forewings unicolorous | 9. siriana. |
| 2. Forewings„ with basal third much paler than remainder | 8. hemionana. |
7. Pros. aspistana, n. sp.
Parva, alis ant. albido-griseis, macula basali triauguloque costæ magno castaneis, fusco-marginatis; post. griseis.
Male.—13 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax whitish-grey, somewhat mixed with fuscous (but damaged). Antennæ whitish-grey (?). Abdomen whitish-grey. Legs whitish-grey, anterior and middle pair suffused with dark fuscous except at apex of joints. Forewings oblong, rather narrow,