174 On the Geographical Distribution of Insects. 



for there are species (Pap. Demoleus and Epius ; Nymjihalis 

 Jiolina, &c.) which extend from the western coasts of Africa 

 under the equator, as far as the Islands of the Indian Archi- 

 pelago, and even the eastern side of New Holland. 



This rule, however, is not without numerous exceptions, 

 and we are acquainted with many species whose habitation in 

 respect to latitude is extremely extended. Dytiscus margi- 

 nalis, very common in Greenland, reappears on the coasts of 

 B.ai'bary, and many Phalenae and Noctuidae of the vicinity of 

 Paris, and even of the north of Em-ope, exist at the Cape of 

 Good Hope. It is observed, however, that the habitation sel- 

 dom extends directly in the line of the meridians ; it has a 

 tendency, in regard to European species, to incline to the 

 east, insomuch that they gain as much in one sense as in the 

 other. Thus we find Dgtiscits griseiis extend from Lapland* 

 to Bengal ; Folyommatus bieticus of the environs of Paris to 

 the isles of Sunda ; Limenitis aceris of Hungary, to Java ; 

 the Sphinges Celerio and Nerii of the middle of France to the 

 Mauritius ; the Sphynx couvolvuli of the north of France as far 

 as the island of Polynesia, to Taity among others, where it is 

 not I'are. The new continent also presents many similar ex- 

 amples. A great number of its Lepidoptera ( Tanessa hun- 

 tera, larinia and jatrophce, Fap. thoas, Ngmphalis acheronta, 

 Argynnis coliunbina and vanillce, fcc.) are distributed from 

 Southern Brazil as far as the vicinity of New York. 



In all the preceding instances the areas are continuous ; if 

 we wish for striking examples of interrupted areas, they imist 

 be souo-ht among the species common to both the New and 

 Old Continent, their insulation being the most complete to be 

 foimd on the globe. The list of these species is pretty copi- 

 ous, and it is somewhat remarkable that all are European. We 

 are liitherto unacquainted, with any insect essentiall}' African 

 or Asiatic which reappears in America, and if that vast conti- 

 nent do possess any in common with these two countries, they 

 belong to those eminently sporadical species, Vv'hich exist al- 

 most everyAvhere, such as Vanessa cardui already alluded to. 



According to Latreille, the majority of the species of Green- 

 land are the same as those of Lapland, so that this country. 



