The expansion of the wings is 1⅜ inches. The fore-wings are bright orange-yellow; there is a small brown area near the base, with the outer edge indented; then a pale band followed by a very broad brown central band, composed of wavy transverse lines, with irregular yellow spaces between them, the largest of these spaces containing a small black dot; the outer edge of the central band is very wavy, and has several rather prominent projections near the middle; beyond this are several rather faint brownish lines; the cilia are yellow, barred with dark brown. The hind-wings are pale ochreous, shaded with grey near the base, and with yellow near the termen; the cilia are yellow, barred with brown.
The perfect insect appears in January, and frequents forest. It is found at elevations of from 2,000 to 3,000 feet, but is not by any means a common species.
XANTHORHOE CHIONOGRAMMA, Meyr.
(Larentia chionogramma, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 82.)
(Plate [VII]., fig. 42 ♂, 43 ♀.)
This rather dull-looking species has occurred in the South Island at Mount Arthur and Mount Hutt.
The expansion of the wings is about 1⅛ inches. The fore-wings are rather dark greyish-brown; there are numerous indistinct wavy paler and darker transverse lines near the base; a rather broad transverse brown band towards the middle, shaded towards the base, and edged with an interrupted jagged white line towards the termen; beyond this there are several broken darker and paler lines. The hind-wings are very pale greyish-ochreous, clouded with grey near the base, and with several rows of small cloudy grey spots near the termen. The female is paler than the male and the markings are less distinct.
The perfect insect appears in December and January, and frequents wooded valleys on the lower slopes of the mountains, at elevations of from 2,000 to 3,000 feet.
XANTHORHOE CAMELIAS, Meyr.
(Larentia camelias, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xx. 58.)