Biology of the Membra cidae of the Cayuga Lake Basin 193 



of mammals which Miller (1899) desig;nates as serving to identify any 

 part of the Transition Zone in New York. 



Eastern, Canadian, Upper Austral, and Lower Austral forms are repre- 

 sented among the birds recorded for the basin, and in a number of cases 

 the species representing these zones breed in the locality. The fishes show 

 traces of Lake Ontario fauna with occasional representatives of Sus- 

 quehanna Valley and Erie Basin forms. The amphibia are largely 

 southern and the reptiles very meager. (Reed and Wright, 1909 : 384-385.) 



In the same manner the flora of the region shows traces of widely 

 scattered forms, and among the rarer plants occur some that bear the stamj) 

 of remote geographical nativity (Dudley, 1886 :vii). The peat bogs in 

 the vicinity of Freeville, the marshes at the foot of the lake, and the more 

 secluded parts of the ravines, show forms of plant life which are without 

 doubt migrants from distant floral areas, and their mode of introduction 

 into the basin is unknown. 



In this connection it should be noted that the Cayuga Lake Basin is 

 intimately connected with the Susquehanna River on the south and the 

 Ontario plains on the north. W ilseyville Creek, which flows down into 

 the Susquehanna Valley, is at one point only about half a mile from 

 Six Mile Creek, which flows into Cayuga Lake, and it is probable that at 

 flood times the sources of these creeks are connected. The inlet of Cayuga 

 Lake, likewise, rises at about a mile from Spencer Creek, which flows to the 

 Susquehanna Basin, and at the same elevation. In the same connection 

 it should be remembered that the region at the foot of the lake gradually 

 opens into the Ontario flats without geographical or faunal barriers. 



It is to be expected that the insect fauna would show similar transitional 

 forms, as is indeed the case. Little literature is available relative to the 

 distribution of special groups of insects in the basin, but in many instances 

 records show the presence of Canadian, Southern, and Western species. 

 It will be shown in the course of this study that the Membracidae list 

 is representative of a wide range of distribution. 



On the other hand, the basin is in some respects cut ofi^ from the sur- 

 rounding territory. It will be noted that a few species described with 

 the basin as a type locality have never been recorded from any other part 

 of the State. Conversely, species that are abundant in neighboring 

 counties are seldom recorded locally. The latter condition is illustrated 

 in the Membracidae in the cases of Publilia concava and Micrutalis calm. 



