Mr. Fereday states[57] that after carefully examining a patch of _Donatia { 119}novæzealandiæ_, a plant he had noticed much frequented by this butterfly, he succeeded in finding a larva which there could be little doubt would have given rise to this insect, had it lived. The following is taken from his description: The caterpillar is shaped like a wood-louse, hairy, and pale green. There is a series of conical purplish spots down the back, edged first with white, and then with dull red. On the sides there is a series of pale pinkish oblique stripes, blended with dull red towards the spiracles.
The perfect insect is very common in dry, stony places, generally near river-beds, during January, February and March. It flies only a short distance when disturbed, but is very quick on the wing, and hence difficult to catch until one becomes accustomed to it. In some places these little butterflies are so abundant that they take wing like a swarm of blow-flies. They seldom open their wings whilst at rest, so that when perched on the ground they are very inconspicuous.
"Eyes hairy. Club of antennæ elongate. Fore-wings with vein 6 separate, 8 and 9 stalked.
"A large genus of nearly universal distribution. Imago usually with a horny apical hook on anterior tibiæ. Larva short, stout, attenuated at extremities, with short hairs. Pupa attached by tail and often a central belt of silk, or unattached or subterranean."--(Meyrick.)
Represented in New Zealand by two species.
(_Lycæna phoebe_, Murray, Ent. Mo. Mag., 1873, 107.)
This little butterfly is extremely abundant in the neighbourhood of Nelson. I have also taken it in plenty in several localities in the Wellington district, and suspect it is common throughout the North Island. In other parts of the South Island its place appears to be taken by _L. oxleyi_.
The expansion of the wings of the male is 1 inch, of the female 7/8 inch. On the upper side all the wings are pale blue, broadly bordered with dull brown. The cilia are white, faintly barred with brownish. _On the under side all the wings, are pale slaty-grey._ There is a faint blackish spot, edged with white, near the middle of the fore-wings, and two rows of similar spots near the termen. The hind-wings have several very faint white-edged spots near the base, a row near the middle, and another row almost entirely white near the termen.