New Zealand Moths and Butterflies (Macro-Lepidoptera)Hudson, G. V. (George Vernon)
Science
New Zealand Moths and Butterflies (Macro-Lepidoptera)
Hudson, G. V. (George Vernon)
Lepidoptera -- New Zealand
Described and figured from a specimen in Mr. Fereday's collection.
NOTOREAS ZOPYRA, Meyr.
(_Pasithea zopyra_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 89. _Notoreas zopyra_,
ib. xviii. 184.)
(Plate VIII., figs. 18 and 19, varieties.)
This bright-looking little species has occurred at Mount Arthur and at
Mount Hutt, in the South Island.
The expansion of the wings is about ¾ inch. The fore-wings are _dark
bluish-grey_, with numerous slender, wavy, blackish transverse lines, and
a distinct blackish dot above the middle. The hind-wings are _bright
orange_, speckled with grey near the base and dorsum; there are from two
to four very fine, wavy, broken, blackish, transverse lines, and the
termen is narrowly bordered with black.
{75}The perfect insect appears in January, frequenting shingle flats on the
mountain sides, at about 4,000 feet above the sea-level. It flies rapidly
in the hottest sunshine, and, when it alights on the stones, is extremely
difficult to find. The brilliant hind-wings, which are very conspicuous
when the moth is flying, quite disqualify the eye from detecting the
extremely obscure object, which the insect instantly becomes when resting
with its fore-wings alone exposed. This method of increasing the value of
protective tints by means of bright colours temporarily displayed was very
clearly described, I believe for the first time, by Lord Walsingham in his
address to the Fellows of the Entomological Society of London, in January,
1891. It is certainly well exemplified by this and several other species of
the genus _Notoreas_, and it will be at once noticed by the collector, how
extremely difficult it is to follow these active little moths, as they fly
with short and rapid flight over the grey rocks and stones, with which
their fore-wings so completely harmonize; the momentary glimpse obtained of
the brilliant hind-wings so completely deceives the eye, that there is much
more difficulty in marking the spot where the insect alights, than would
have been the case if the brilliant colour had never been displayed.
NOTOREAS VULCANICA, Meyr.
(_Pasithea vulcanica_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 89. _Notoreas
vulcanica_, ib. xviii. 184.)
(Plate VIII., fig. 24.)
This species has been taken in the North Island at Makotuku, and the Kaweka
Range, in the Hawkes Bay District.
The expansion of the wings is 1 inch. The fore-wings are _very dark
blackish-grey_; there is a rather narrow black transverse line near the
base, another at about one-third; then a small black dot, followed by a
wavy, rather broad, black band, and two cloudy wavy black transverse
lines near the termen. The hind-wings are _very dark orange; there is a
large black basal patch, then a broad black band joining the basal patch
near the dorsum; beyond this is a fine black line, then another broad
black line followed by a very fine wavy line of the orange ground colour;
the termen is very broadly margined with black_.
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