Page:Transactions NZ Institute Volume 15.djvu/92

One fine specimen, kindly presented to me by Dr. W. H. Gaze, who informs me that he took it, with a second, at South Rakaia amongst rough herbage in March.

Lower median vein of hindwings without (rarely with) basal pectination; vein 2 of forewings rising from posterior fourth of lower margin of cell.

Thorax smooth. Antennæ in male with long fine cilia. Palpi moderate or long, second joint roughly haired above and towards apex beneath. Forewings with costa in male simple, surface with raised tufts of scales. Hindwings broader than forewings, lower median pectinated towards base. Forewings with 12 veins, 7 and 8 separate, 7 to hindmargin. Hindwings with 6 veins, 3 and 4 stalked from posterior angle of cell, 5 from upper angle of cell to slightly above apex, 6 free.

Remarkable as being the only known genus of the family possessing the basal pectination of the median vein, probably an ancestral character. The group to which it belongs, characterized by the peculiar neuration of the 6-veined hindwings, is almost confined to Australia.

Minor, alis ant. griseo-ochreis, saturate griseo-sparsis, punctis plerisque, macula disci postica parva, serieque punctorum postica transversa nigris; post. albidis.

Male, female.—14–17 mm. Head and thorax grey, more or less irrorated with whitish; palpi in male moderate, in female very long, lower half dark fuscous; antennæ in male whitish-ochreous. Forewings very narrow, costa moderately arched, slightly bent before middle, hindmargin straight, very oblique; greyish-ochreous or grey, sometimes mixed with whitish, especially towards base of costa, and more or less densely irrorated with blackish-grey; costa with about seven small suffused blackish-grey spots; a suffused blackish-grey spot in disc at ⅔ from base; between this and base are about eight black dots in upper half of wing, irregularly arranged, tending to be followed by raised scales; a large raised tuft on the discal spot, and another on submedian fold at ⅓ from base; an angulated transverse row of blackish dots from ¾ of costa to anal angle; a hindmarginal row of similar dots: cilia dark grey, with whitish points. Hindwings whitish, apex sometimes greyish; cilia whitish.

Narrower-winged than the following, with dark grey and ochreous colouring, and otherwise very distinct.