NEW-ZKUiaNt) Mams -am m BUTTERFLIES' NEW ZEALAND MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES. "The rearing of larvae, . when joined with the entomological collection, adds immense interest to Saturday afternoon rambles, and forms an admirable introduction to the study of physiology." Herbert Spencer, in 'Education.' " When simple curiosity passes into the love of knowledge as such, and the gratification of the aesthetic of sense of the beauty of completeness and accuracy seems more desirable than the easy indolence ignorance ; when the finding out of the causes of things becomes a source of joy, and he is counted happy who is successful of in the search ; common knowledge Nature passes into what our forefathers called Natural History, from whence there is but a step to that which used to be termed Natural Philosophy, and now passes by the name of Physical Science." Thomas Henry Huxley, in ' The Crayfish.' "It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects Hitting about, and with worms crawling through the dam}) earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent upon each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us. These laws, taken in the largest sense, being Growth with Reproduction; Inheritance which is almost implied by reproduction; Variability from the indirect and direct action of the conditions of life, and from use and disuse : a Ratio of Increase so high as to lead to a Struggle for Life, and as a consequence to Natural Selection, entailing Divergence of Character and the Extinction of less-improved forms. Thus, from the war of Nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows. There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, this having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one ; and that, whilst planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved." Darwin, in 'The Origin of Species.' : 0*1 NEW ZEALAND MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES / (MACRO-LEPIDOPTEKA). G. V. HUDSON, P.E.S., Author of ' An Elemental!/ Manual of Neiu Zealand Entomology. WITH 13 PLATES. LONDON WEST, NEWMAN & Co., 54, HATTON GARDEN, E.G. <? PEE FACE. The present work is intruded as a guide to those who desire to collect or study our native Lepidnptera, and also as a book of reference to the general leader. In the Introduction I have first given an outline of the Transformations and Structure of the Lepidoptera. Then a brief sketch of the Darwinian th ies respecting the origin of species and their special application to various phenomena exhibited by moths and butterflies, as well as a short outline of the general principles which have been followed in framing modern classifications oi the order. Next follow five chapters on the various groups de-alt with. With a few exceptions this work only treats of what are, for the sake of convenience, termed the Macro-Lepidnptera. A similar work on the numerous and interesting species of Micrn-Lepidoptera found in New Zealand may at some future time he undertaken. In conclusion, I have to discharge the pleasurable duty of thanking the numerous entomologists who have so liberally assisted me in the production of this work. First, and especially, my thanks are due to Mr. Meyrick, without whose masterly papers and 'Handbook' hut little could have been accomplished. Next, to Mi'. R. \Y. Fereday, who very kindly allowed me to figure many species of which he alone possesses specimens —in itself an invaluable assistance. 1 have also to express my thanks to Messrs. H. F. Hawthorne, H. P. Hanif'y, li. I. Kingsley, A. Nonas, A. Philpott, and others for the loan of specimens, and for much valuable information regarding the localities and habits of rare or local species. Lastly, I have to acknowledge the aid so willingly given by my lamented friend, the late Mr. A. S. Ullifi, of Sydney. Kabobi, Wellington, New Zealand, 1897. CONTENTS [NTRODUCTIO THK CAliADlHXINA THE N'OTODONTINA THE PAPILIONINA THE PSYCHIJs \ THE MK K<>1'TKKY(.I\A iimkt oxi APPENDIX (Oksc Kirnvi GENERAL INDEX SPECIAL INDEX PLATES AND EXPLANATIONS INTEODUCTION. The order Lepidoptera, which includes all those insects commonly known as Moths and Butterflies, is chiefly distinguished by its members possessing four wings clothed with numerous minute scales, the term Lepidoptera being derived from the two Greek words, X«n'e, a scale, and irrepov, a wing. The mouth of these insects is suctorial, the maxillae forming a spiral proboscis which is coiled up between the large labial palpi when not in use (sec Plate I., Jigs. 5 and (i). The other oral organs are rudimentary. To acquire this form these insects pass through three very distinct stages, viz., the Egg, the Larva, and the Pupa. 1.— yJPTAMOBPHOSIS. THE EGG. The eggs of Lepidoptera are generally somewhat globular, much flattened above and beneath. Some are very elaborately sculptured, whilst others are quite smooth. They are usually white or yellowish, but always change much in colour as the contained embryo develops. THE LARVA. The larvaa of moths and butterflies are popularly known as caterpillars. They always consist of thirteen segments, segment number one being the head. The head is furnished with several simple eyes (Plate 1., fig. 2, AA), a pair of very short antennas (BB), and a very powerful masticatory mouth. The mouth consists of the following organs: The labrum, or upper lip (1); a pair of mandibles, or upper jaws, (-2, working like scissor-blades -2) ; two maxilla?, or lower jaws (3,3), each carrying a jointed organ termed the maxillary palpus; and the labium, or lower lip (4); which bears another pair of minute jointed appendages—the labial palpi. Segments 2, 3, and 4, which answer to the thorax of the perfect insect, are each furnished with a pair of legs. They consist of the six following joints (fig. 2) : (a) coxa, (b) trochanter, (c) femur, (</) tibia, (e) tarsus, and (/) claw. These legs correspond to those of the perfect insect. The remaining nine segments of the body constitute the abdomen. Usually segments 7 to 9 and 13, each have a pair of fleshy pads, which are termed prolegs and are furnished on their edges with a row of minute booklets (see Plate I., fig. 14, proleg highly magnified). It is these hooklets which enable caterpillars to hold on by means of their prolegs with such great tenacity. The number of the prolegs varies considerably in different groups and families. The spiracles, or orifices of the air-tubes, are situated on each side of the larva just above the legs. They are usually present on segments 2 and 5 to 12, but vary consider- — x INTRODUCTION. ably in different groups and families. The larva is provided with a very complete digestive system, which consists of the following organs (see Plate I., fig. 9) : A, the ; the clavate intestine ; E, the ilium colon oesophagus ; D, the ventriculus F, ; H, the ; K, the biliary vessels ; and 0, the spinning vessels. These last open at a small orifice in the labium termed the spinneret (fig. 2, 5). They supply the silken threads which are employed by most larvae in constructing their cocoons, and which also serve in cases of danger as a rapid means of retreat. Many larva-, which live on shrubs and trees, suddenly lower themselves to the ground by means of one of these silken threads, and thus often escape being devoured by insectivorous animals. The entire growth of the insect is accomplished during the larval condition, the increase in size being frequently very rapid. Owing to this circumstance larva' are often compelled to shed their skin, and in many species a very considerable alteration both in the shape and colour takes place at each moult, or eedysis as it is sometimes termed. THE PUPA. The pupa of a Lepidopterous insect is completely encased in a chitinous envelope. With the exception of a slight twirling of the abdominal segments it is incapable of any motion. In the pupa of Micropteryx the mandibles and Labial palpi are said to be functionally active, but this is a very exceptional though extremely interesting case. In conjunction with other evidence it would appear to indicate that the Lepidoptera originated from insects with active pupae. The number of free or movable segments of pupa' varies considerably in different groups and genera, and by some modern authors it is regarded as a character of much importance in the framing of their classifications. The various organs of the perfect insect are distinctly marked out on the otherwise uniform integument of the pupa. In some groups, notably the Micropterygina, these organs are much more distinctly indicated than in others. II.—ANATOMY. THE PERFECT INSECT OP IMAGO. In common with all other members of the class, the body of a Lepidopterous insect consists of three main divisions : (1) the head, (-J) the thorax, and (3) the abdomen. THE HEAD. The front of the head is termed the face, the top the crown, the sides are nearly entirely occupied by the compound eyes (Plate I., H^;. 11, AA), and the lower surface by the organs of the mouth. The Eyes consist of a very large number of simple lenses arranged in the form of two hemispheres, one on each side of the head. The ocelli, or simple eyes, are situated on the crown, and are usually almost entirely covered by scales.