THE 



^ 



,Ay VOLUME XII. ^'f^,' 



7. 



XOTES ON THE ENTOMOLOGY OF KERGUELEN'S ISLAND. 

 BY THE EKV. A. E. EATOX, il.A. 



l^ExtrnctciJ from the First Report of the JS'aturaJi.st attached to the 

 Transit-of -Venus Expedition to Ker/jiieJens Island. Published in 

 the I'roceedinf/s of the lioi/al Society, vol. \\\\\,j)p. 3'ji-355.] 



The entomology of the Island is very interesting. Mosit of the 

 larger insects seem to be incapable of flight. I have found repre- 

 sentatives of the Orders Lepidopfera, Diptera, Culeoptera, and Col- 

 lemhohi. 



The Lcpidoptera comprise a species of the Noctuina (as I sup- 

 pose) and one of the Tineina. Of the first, I have not yet reared the 

 imago ; the larva is a moss-eater and subterranean ; the adult is 

 probably as large as an Arjrotis of medium size. The species of 

 Tineina is probably one of the Gelechiidce, judging from the form of 

 the palpi, its larva feeds on young shoots of Festaca', and sometimes 

 spins a silken cocoon for the pupa. The imago, of which the sexes are 

 alike, has acute and very abbreviated wings, and the posterior pair 

 extremely minute. In repose, the antenna) are widely separated and 

 alinoKt divaricate. When the sun shines the adult is active, and, if 

 alarmed, jumps to a distance of two or three inches at a time. During 

 its passage through the air the wings are vibrated. 



The Diptera are represented by species of the Tipalidw and Mus- 

 cid(£. There are three of the former family. One of llicm is a species 

 of Cecidomyiida, which is abundant in mossy places, and presents no 

 marked peculiarity. Another seems to be a degraded member of the 

 Tipulidce. The antennae have six joints, the pal[)i two ; the wings are 

 ligulate and very minute. It possesses halteres, and the female has an 

 ovipositor enclosed in an exposed sheath. Although it is unable to 

 fly, it lives upon rocks in the sea which are covered at high water, and 

 there it deposits its eggs in tufts of Entcromorphn. The third species 

 has full-sized wings; it was caught in the house. The indigenous 



B, 1875. 



