"Face with appressed scales. Tongue developed. Palpi very short or moderate, porrected or subascending, rough-scaled. Antennæ in male evenly ciliated. Thorax rather hairy beneath. Femora glabrous; posterior tibiæ with all spurs present. Fore-wings with vein 10 anastomosing with 9, 11 anastomosing with 12 and 10 before 9. Hind-wings with 6 and 7 separate."—(Meyrick.) (Plate [II]., figs. 46 and 47, neuration of Epirranthis alectoraria; fig. 48, head of ditto.)
Represented in New Zealand by two species.
EPIRRANTHIS ALECTORARIA, Walk.
(Lyrcea alectoraria, Walk. 259; Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 95. Aspilates (?) primata, Walk. 1076; Butl., Cat. pl. iii. 4. Endropia mixtaria, Walk. 1506; Butl., Cat. pl. iii. 5. Amilapis (?) acroiaria, Feld. cxxiii. 6. Lyrcea varians, Butl., Cist. Ent. ii. 496. Ploseria alectoraria, Hdsn., Manual N. Z. Ent. 86.)
(Plate [VIII]., figs. 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, and 47, varieties; Plate [III]., fig. 24, larva.)
This species has occurred in tolerable abundance at many localities in both the North and the South Islands. It is probably generally distributed throughout the country.
The expansion of the wings is from 1 inch to 1½ inches. The wings range in colour from pale yellow to dark orange-brown, dark reddish-brown, or even dull brown, with innumerable intermediate tints. There is often a central transverse line reaching from the costa of the fore-wing to the dorsum of the hind-wing. Many of the varieties are speckled with darker colour; others have irregular yellow patches, generally situated on the fore-wings just below the apex and on the dorsum near the base; there are often two white dots near the apex of the fore-wings.
Most of the varieties closely resemble the varied hues of fading leaves. In many of the forms greyish speckled marks occur on various parts of the wings, no doubt imitating the irregular patches of mould which are often present on dead leaves. One very well-marked variety is bright yellow, with the costa rosy and two large white-centred rosy spots arranged transversely on each wing. (See Plate [VIII]., fig. 47.) All the specimens of this insect are so extremely variable that it is almost impossible to adequately describe the species. The apex of the fore-wing is always very acute; the termen is bowed just below the apex, and is furnished with slight indentations of variable depth. The termen of the hind-wing is also furnished with variable indentations.
The egg is oval and much flattened above. When first laid it is pale green in colour, but becomes dull olive-green as the embryo develops.
The young larva is very pale green, with the head brownish-yellow. At this early stage its colouring already completely harmonises with that of the under side of the leaves of its food-plants, Pittosporum eugenioides and P. tenuifolium.