Genus 4.—RHAPSA.
"Eyes naked. Palpi very long, obliquely ascending, loosely rough-scaled throughout, second joint with dense long projecting tuft above towards apex, terminal joint moderate, Antennæ in male moderately bipectinated, apex simple. Thorax and abdomen not crested. Fore-wings in male beneath with large broad costal fold on anterior half."—(Meyrick.) (Plate [II]., figs. 16 and 17 neuration of ♂ Rhapsa scotosialis; fig. 18 head of ditto.)
We have two species.
RHAPSA SCOTOSIALIS, Walk.
(Rhapsa scotosialis, Walk., Suppl. 1150. Herminia lilacina, Butl., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1877, pl. xlii. 11. Rhapsa scotosialis, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 38.)
(Plate [VI]., fig. 5 ♂, 6 ♀.)
This remarkable species is extremely abundant and generally distributed throughout the country.
The expansion of the wings is 1⅜ inches. The fore-wings have the costa considerably arched towards the apex, and the termen is bowed outwards in the middle; the colour is pale brown in the male and dark brown in the female; there are several obscure black marks near the base; the orbicular is very small, orange or pale grey outlined in black, the claviform is absent, the reniform is conspicuous, the outer edge is much indented, the inner edge is outlined with dull orange-red, there is a black blotch between the orbicular and the reniform; beyond the reniform there is a curved transverse line enveloping a series of minute black dots, then a very conspicuous wavy transverse line shaded towards the base of the wing; there is a pale triangular area at the apex, and a series of small crescentic dark brown markings on the termen; the cilia are dark brown. The hind-wings are greyish-ochreous; there is a rather faint line across the middle, followed by a broad shade; a series of small crescentic marks is situated on the termen; the cilia are dark greyish-ochreous. The antennæ of the male are strongly bipectinated. The female is considerably darker, the markings are less distinct and numerous, and there is no black blotch between the orbicular and the reniform.
Some male specimens are much paler in colour than others, but with this exception there does not appear to be any important variation.
The eggs are round, flattened above, bright green, becoming dull purplish about two days after being laid.