  "Face smooth. Tongue developed. Palpi shortly rough-scaled. Fore-wings with vein 10 rising out of 9, 11 anastomosing or connected with 9. Hind-wings with vein 5 fully developed, rising from middle of transverse vein, parallel to 4, 8 very shortly anastomosing with upper margin of cell near base, thence rapidly diverging."—(Meyrick.) (See Plate II., figs. 49 and 50.) Although less numerous than the preceding, the family is pretty evenly distributed throughout the world, but poorly represented in New Zealand. We have only one genus, viz., Leptomeris. Genus 1.—LEPTOMERIS, Hb."AntennÆ in male ciliated with fascicles. Posterior tibia in male dilated without spurs, in female with all spurs present. Hind-wings with veins 6 and 7 sometimes stalked (variable in the same species)."—(Meyrick.) (See Plate II., figs. 49 and 50.) We have one species, which also occurs in Australia. LEPTOMERIS RUBRARIA, Dbld. (Ptychopoda (?) rubraria, Dbld., Dieff. N. Z. ii. 286; Walk. 781. Fidonia (?) acidaliaria, Walk. 1037. Acidalia figlinaria, Gn. ix. 454, pl. xii. 8. Acidalia rubraria, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 57.) (Plate VIII., fig. 37 ?, 38 ?.) This pretty little insect is very common, and generally distributed throughout the country. The expansion of the wings is about ? inch. The fore-wings are reddish-ochreous with three dull brown wavy transverse lines, the first rather narrow at about one-fourth, the second slightly broader at about one-half, the third much broader, and sometimes partially divided near the costa; there is a black central dot, a series of rather large dull brown spots near the termen, and a chain of minute black dots on the termen. The hind-wings are pinkish-ochreous; there is a dull brown wavy transverse band near the base, then two close together a little beyond one-half, a shading on the termen, and a very distinct series of minute black terminal dots. The cilia of all the wings are dull brown, mixed with reddish-ochreous. There is often considerable variation in the intensity of the colouring of this insect, some specimens being much darker than others, but the markings are very constant, and the species is thus always easily recognizable. The eggs are yellowish-white, and very large for the size of the moth. The young larva is brownish-purple with a dull white line on each side. The food-plant is unknown. The perfect insect appears in January, February and March. In the late summer and autumn it frequents dried-up, weedy pastures, where it is often extremely abundant. Straggling specimens, which have probably hibernated during the winter, may also be taken in the early spring. Mr. Meyrick states that this species occurs very commonly in New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, and that there is no difference between Australian and New Zealand specimens.[41] |
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