The perfect insect appears in November, December, January, and February. I do not think it is a very common species, and at present I have only observed it on the Dun { 61}Mountain near Nelson, at an elevation of about 2,700 feet above the sea-level. Here I took several specimens on the flowers of an Alpine veronica in the dusk of evening, and saw several others, which I was unable to capture. Mr. Meyrick has taken it on Mount Arthur at an elevation of 4,500 feet, and Mr. Fereday states that it frequents swampy places near Christchurch.
(_Larentia nephelias_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 78.)
This species was discovered by Mr. Meyrick in the South Island at Arthur's Pass, West Coast Road, and he has since taken it on Mount Arthur.
"_Male, female_.--The expansion of the wings is 32-34 mm. (about 1¼ inches). Fore-wings moderate, in female narrower and more elongate, termen rounded; pale whitish-grey, slightly ochreous-tinged; an indistinct suffusion of dark fuscous scales before middle; a small dark fuscous discal dot; a rather irregular cloudy dark fuscous line beyond middle, sinuate beneath costa, shortly angulated in middle; a very faint stria beyond this; a terminal band composed of two rows of cloudy partially confluent dark fuscous spots, separating on costa; cilia pale whitish-grey. Hind-wings moderate, in female narrower, termen rounded; ground colour as in fore-wings, with a few grey scales posteriorly.
"I took two fine specimens above Arthur's Pass (4,600 feet), in January."--(Meyrick).
I am unacquainted with this species. It is evidently very conspicuous and distinct.
(_Larentia cataphracta_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 79.)
This large and conspicuous species has occurred in the South Island at Mount Arthur, Arthur's Pass, Lake Guyon, and Lake Wakatipu.
The expansion of the wings of the male is 1-5/8 inches, of the female 1½ inches. _The fore-wings are dull yellowish-brown, with numerous slightly waved oblique black and white transverse bands; one very broad white band is situated near the middle, and another at about three-fourths; there is a broad longitudinal reddish-brown line on the costal edge, in which the transverse lines almost disappear_; there is also a pale, somewhat triangular, area at the apex. The hind-wings are very pale greyish-ochreous. The cilia of all the wings are very pale ochreous. The female is duller and paler than the male.