"Ovum oval, smooth. Larva inhabiting a strong portable silken case, covered with fragments of stick or refuse. Pupa within the larval case."--(Meyrick.)
There are two genera in New Zealand closely allied to each other.
"Ocelli present. Antennæ 1/3, in male strongly bi-pectinated, much more shortly on apical half. Labial palpi extremely short, rough-haired. Abdomen in male very elongate, roughly hairy. Legs hairy, tibiæ without spurs, posterior tarsi extremely short and stout. Fore-wings with veins 4 and 5 short-stalked, 7 sometimes out of 9, 8 and 9 stalked, forked parting-vein well defined. Hind-wings with veins 4 and 5 stalked, forked parting-vein well defined, 8 connected by bar with cell beyond middle. An additional vein (9) rising from 8 beyond bar, another (10) from 8 before bar, and another (11) from base of costa running into 8 before 10." (See Plate I., figs. 30, 31.)
"This generic name was wrongly spelt _Oiketicus_ by its originator and others, for which there is no possible justification. I have corrected it."--(Meyrick.)
Although I have made several examinations of fully denuded wings of _OE. omnivorus_, I have been unable to discover any trace of the additional veins mentioned by Mr. Meyrick. The hair-like scales which clothe the wings of this insect are very long and slender, and might easily be mistaken for a short vein, if placed in the requisite position. I am disposed to think that the examination of undenuded specimens has led to the discrepancy between the results.
(_Liothula omnivora_, Fereday, Trans. N. Z. Inst. x., 260, pl. ix. _Oeceticus omnivorus_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xxii. 212.)
(Plate XIII., fig. 6 [M]; Plate III., fig. 26, larva in its case; fig. 25 ditto withdrawn from case.)
This interesting species is seldom seen as an imago in the natural state, although the cases constructed by its larva are of common occurrence. Specimens of these cases have been noticed at several localities between Palmerston, in the North Island, and Invercargill, in the South Island, so that apparently the insect is common, and generally distributed throughout New Zealand.
The expansion of the wings of the male is from 1¼ to 1½ inches. _The fore-wings are very elongate and narrow. All the wings are blackish-brown, and sparsely covered with scales_, the hind pair being semi-transparent. The body is very hairy, and deep black. The antennæ are broadly bi-pectinate at the base, becoming almost filiform towards the apex. The female insect is apterous, having a close superficial resemblance to a large maggot. The head and thorax are very small, and the legs and antennæ rudimentary. The extremity of the body is furnished with a two-jointed ovipositor, and there are a few scattered yellowish scales on various parts of the insect. Its length is about 1 inch.