256 CHAPTER III 



Representative groups of the terrestrial Greenlandic fauna 



(species and subspecies; obviously introduced forms omitted) 



Total Holarctic Palaearctic Nearctic Endemic 



Birds (Salomonsen & 



Gitz, 1950) 68 30 = 44 % 9 = 13% 18 = 27 % 11 = 16 % 



Macro- Lepidoptera 



(Henriksen, 1939) 26 14 = 53% 3 = 12% 9=35%^ — 



Coleoptera (ditto; 



Vibe, m litt.) 24 7 = 29 % 11= 4^ % 6 = 25 %* — 



Collembola (Hammer, 



1953) 46 27 = 59 % 13 = 28 %3 5 = 11% 1=2% 



Araneae (Braendegaard, 



1946, & Holm, in litt.) 50 2 1 = 42 % 1 1 = 22 %^ 1 1 = 22 %* 7 = H % 



Together 214 99 = 46 % 47 = 22 % 49 = 23 % 1 9 = 9 % 



If the 16 endemic subspecies of birds are distributed among the three other geo- 

 graphical groups, according to their relation to other subspecies (Salomonsen & 

 Gitz, 1950), the figures are: 



37 Holarctic, 12 Palaearctic, 19 Nearctic forms 

 = 54% =18% =28% 



If, furthermore, the 7 Spiders and the single Collembol, unknown outside Green- 

 land, are counted as Nearctic, which they probably are, the 214 species and sub- 

 species of the list include: 



106 Holarctic, 50 Palaearctic, 58 Nearctic forms 



= 50 % = 23 % = 27 % 



This means that, provided the selected groups are accepted as representative, 

 the terrestrial fauna of Greenland consists of one half Holarctic, and one fourth each 

 of Nearctic and Palaearctic forms (species and subspecies). 



Before considering the fascinating question of the reasons for the peculiar zoo- 

 geographical character of Greenland, and the North Atlantic islands on the whole, 



^ Included are Byrdia (Dasychira) groenlandica Wocke, found in the Canadian Arctic 

 according to Dr. Munroe {in litt.), and Rhyacia (Euxoa) drezvseni Stdgr., the occurrence of 

 which in North America proper is not quite settled (McDunnough, 1950, p. 396); further- 

 more, Spaelotis (Amphitrota) clandestina Harr. {unicolor Wlk.), recorded also from E Siberia 

 but represented in N Europe by sbsp. siiecica Aur. 



* \nc\ud\i\f^Micralymmabrevilingiie Schio. and Coccinella transversoguttata Fald., occur- 

 ring in Siberia but not in Europe. 



^ Including two species (Sminthurus concolor Mein. and Collinsia thulensis Jacks.) outside 

 Greenland known from Spitzbergen only. 



* Including Islandiana princeps Braend., outside Greenland known from Iceland only. 



