"Mount Hutt and Lake Wakatipu (5,400 feet), on the open mountain sides, in December and January; twelve specimens."—(Meyrick.)
XANTHORHOE BULBULATA, Gn.
(Cidaria bulbulata, Gn., E. M. M. v. 94. Larentia bulbulata, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 84.)
(Plate [VIII]., fig. 1.)
This species has occurred in the South Island at Kekerangu, Christchurch, Castle Hill, and Dunedin.
The expansion of the wings is barely 1 inch. The fore-wings are very pale brownish-ochreous; there is a brown area near the base; a moderately broad brown central band with a distinct projection near the middle; the termen is broadly shaded with brown, with a wavy paler line in the middle of the shading; there are often several oval paler marks in the middle of the central band, and pale brown spots and lines between the darker brown markings. The hind-wings are bright orange, with the cilia pale brown.
The perfect insect appears from September till March, and frequents open, grassy places, from the sea-level to elevations of from 2,000 to 3,000 feet.
Genus 12.—LYTHRIA, Hb.
"Face rough-haired or loosely scaled, antennæ in male bi-pectinated, apex sometimes simple. Palpi with long rough hairs. Thorax roughly hairy beneath. Fore-wings with areole simple. Hind-wings with vein 8 anastomosing with cell to beyond middle."—(Meyrick.) (Plate [II]., figs. 39 and 40, neuration of L. chrysopeda.)
We have two interesting little species in New Zealand. The genus also occurs in Europe, and probably elsewhere.