This interesting species has occurred in the South Island at the Dun Mountain, Mount Arthur, Christchurch, and Dunedin.
The expansion of the wings is about 1½ inches. All the wings are pure white; the fore-wings have a minute grey dot above the middle, a series of extremely minute dots a little before the termen, and several rows of very faint grey marks close to the termen. The hind-wings have a row of very obscure dots across the middle, and several rows of very faint grey marks close to the termen. The face and collar are brown, and there is sometimes an extremely faint brown tinge on the costal edge of the fore-wings. The body is pure white.
The perfect insect appears in November, December, January, and February. I do not think it is a very common species, and at present I have only observed it on the Dun Mountain near Nelson, at an elevation of about 2,700 feet above the sea-level. Here I took several specimens on the flowers of an Alpine veronica in the dusk of evening, and saw several others, which I was unable to capture. Mr. Meyrick has taken it on Mount Arthur at an elevation of 4,500 feet, and Mr. Fereday states that it frequents swampy places near Christchurch.
XANTHORHOE NEPHELIAS, Meyr.
(Larentia nephelias, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 78.)
This species was discovered by Mr. Meyrick in the South Island at Arthur's Pass, West Coast Road, and he has since taken it on Mount Arthur.
"Male, female.—The expansion of the wings is 32-34 mm. (about 1¼ inches). Fore-wings moderate, in female narrower and more elongate, termen rounded; pale whitish-grey, slightly ochreous-tinged; an indistinct suffusion of dark fuscous scales before middle; a small dark fuscous discal dot; a rather irregular cloudy dark fuscous line beyond middle, sinuate beneath costa, shortly angulated in middle; a very faint stria beyond this; a terminal band composed of two rows of cloudy partially confluent dark fuscous spots, separating on costa; cilia pale whitish-grey. Hind-wings moderate, in female narrower, termen rounded; ground colour as in fore-wings, with a few grey scales posteriorly.
"A remarkable-looking species.
"I took two fine specimens above Arthur's Pass (4,600 feet), in January."—(Meyrick).
I am unacquainted with this species. It is evidently very conspicuous and distinct.