The perfect insect appears from October till April, and may often be observed on mild days in the middle of winter. It is common in forest districts, where it is usually seen resting on the tree-trunks, in which situation its colouring must afford it efficient protection from many enemies.
This inconspicuous-looking insect has occurred at Wellington.
The expansion of the wings of the male is about 1-1/8 inches. _The fore-wings are dull yellowish-brown; there are three short oblique dark brown stripes on the costa, inclined very much towards the termen_; the first of these stripes is distinctly double, and the second and third partially so; there is an indistinct brown mark just below the apex, several slender faint streaks on the veins near the middle of the wing, and a very distinct brown shading on the dorsum. The hind-wings are very pale ochreous.
This species may be readily distinguished from the other species of the genus by its small size and by the obliquity of the costal stripes. In _S. humillima_ the costal markings slope very rapidly from the base towards the termen; in the { 84}other allied species these markings are but slightly inclined, and in some cases slope in the reverse direction.
The perfect insect appears from December till March. It frequents the immediate neighbourhood of Wellington, but is not a common species. At present I am only acquainted with the male insect.
(_Larentia productata_, Walk. 1197 (?). _Selidosema pungata_, Feld. cxxxi. 23. _Selidosema_ (?) _fragosata_, Feld. cxxxi. 29. _Zylobara productata_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 98.)
(Plate IX., figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 [M] varieties, 11, 12, 13, and 14 [F] ditto; Plate III., fig. 22, larva.)
This species is very common, and generally distributed throughout both the North and South Islands. It has also occurred at Stewart Island.
The expansion of the wings of the male is 1-3/8 inches, of the female 1-1/8 inches.
The fore-wings vary from pale yellowish-brown to rich chocolate-brown; there are two curved transverse lines near the base, generally enclosing a paler stripe between them; next a broad dark central area; then a wavy paler transverse line, usually followed by a very much paler irregular band, generally formed by two partially disconnected patches, one on the costa and one on the dorsum; there is a jagged, whitish, transverse line near the termen, _always broken in the middle_, and often shaded with black towards the base of the wing. The hind-wings are ochreous, speckled with brown towards the dorsum; there is usually a brown central dot.