Genus 2.—HYBERNIA, Latr.
"Face with appressed scales or short rough scales. Tongue developed or weak. Antennæ in male bi-pectinated, pectinations sometimes short and terminating in fascicles of cilia, apex simple. Palpi shortly rough-scaled. Thorax with small triangular anterior crest, hairy beneath. Femora glabrous; posterior tibiæ in male not dilated. Fore-wings in male without fovea; vein 10 sometimes out of 9, sometimes anastomosing or connected with 9, 11 sometimes out of 10, usually anastomosing with or running into 12, rarely absent. Female semiapterous or apterous."—(Meyrick.)
We have one species.
HYBERNIA INDOCILIS, Walk.
(Zermizinga indocilisaria, Walk. 1530. Hybernia boreophilaria, Gn., E. M. M. v. 61. Hybernia indocilis, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 97.)
(Plate [IX]., fig. 31 ♂, 32 ♀.)
This species has occurred plentifully in the neighbourhood of Christchurch.
The expansion of the wings of the male is 1¼ inches, of the female ½ inch. All the wings are pale grey, speckled with darker grey. The fore-wings have four obscure wavy transverse lines; the first near the base, the second and third near the middle, rather close together, and the fourth near the termen, much interrupted; there is a series of black dots on the termen. The hind-wings have two very faint transverse lines, and a series of black terminal dots; the termen of the hind-wings is slightly scalloped. The cilia of all the wings are grey. The female has the wings extremely small and quite useless for flight; in colour and markings they resemble those of the male, except that the transverse lines are black and sharply defined.
The perfect insect appears from July to January. Mr. R. W. Fereday states that the male is found plentifully at rest on the bare ground, amongst Leptospermum, and the female on the stems.
Described and figured from specimens kindly given to me by Mr. Fereday.