This smart-looking species is very common in the North Island in the neighbourhood of Wellington. In the South Island it has occurred abundantly at Nelson, Christchurch, Lake Coleridge, and Dunedin.
The expansion of the wings is about 1½ inches. The fore-wings are rich reddish-brown; there is a broad bluish-grey longitudinal streak on the costa, reaching nearly to the apex, and a very broad, pale brown, longitudinal shading on the dorsum; there is a conspicuous longitudinal black stripe in the middle of the wing from the base to one-third, the orbicular, reniform, and claviform spots are bluish-grey, edged with black, the transverse lines are very indistinct; the cilia are reddish-brown. The hind-wings are dark grey with the cilia ochreous.
This species varies slightly in the intensity of its markings and in the extent of the pale dorsal area.
The moth first appears about January and continues in great abundance until the middle or end of April, being one of the last of our Leucanias to disappear in the autumn. It is extremely partial to the flowers of the white rata (Metrosideros scandens), where, on warm, still evenings, it may be often met with in the utmost profusion. It also comes freely to sugar, and is frequently attracted by light.
LEUCANIA PROPRIA, Walk.
(Leucania propria, Walk., Noct. iii.; Gn., Ent. Mo. Mag. v. 2; Butl., Voy. Ereb., pl. ix. 4; Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 9.)
(Plate [IV]., fig. 13.)
This insect has occurred in the South Island at Mount Arthur, Blenheim, and Mount Hutt.
The expansion of the wings is 1½ inches. The fore-wings are pale ochreous; there is a conspicuous longitudinal black streak in the middle of the wing, extending from the base to about one-third, and a broad, dark brown longitudinal shading, slightly above the middle, from one-fourth to the termen; the reniform is rather small, dull grey, faintly edged with darker, the orbicular and claviform are very indistinct or absent; there is a transverse series of black dots on the veins a little before the termen, and another series on the termen; the cilia are ochreous banded with brown. The hind-wings are pale grey, with a terminal series of small black marks; the cilia are ochreous. The head and thorax are pale reddish-brown, and the abdomen is ochreous.
This species varies slightly in the depth of its colouring.