470 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vou m 



themselves in Denmark, then they did not give the locality name on 

 the label." Fabricius (1793, p. 84) gave "Habitat in Dania D Com) de 

 Sehestedt" wnth his description. 



The holotype has both metathoracic legs and the apices of all 

 four wings missing; otherwise the specimen is in "good condition" 

 according to Dr. Tuxen. A sketch of the forewing by Dr. Tuxen 

 shows that R2 and R3 both have terminal forks distad to and MA at 

 about the level of the junction of Sc and Rl ; r-m runs from R44-5 to 

 MA. 



Distribution (specimens examined): United States: Maine: Au- 

 gusta; Bar Harbor; Indian Town. Massachusetts: Mount Toby. 

 Michigan: Detroit; Douglas Lake; Livingston County (E. S. George 

 Reserve); Pinckney; Twin Lakes (Houghton County). Minnesota: 

 Cass County; Itasca Park. New York: Milford Center; Saranac 

 Inn; Sport Island (Sacandaga River). Wisconsin: Minong; Palmyra; 

 Spooner (Namakagon River). Canada: British Columbia: Kaslo; 

 Lillooet (Seton Lake). Ontario: Biscotasing; Go Home Bay; Honey 

 Harbor; Lake of Bays. Quebec: Perkins Mills; Thunder River. 

 Alaska: Chitina; Gulkana River; Matanuska. 



S. fnscafa is widely distributed and is the only sisyrid known 

 at present to occur in both the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. 

 These represent the first Nearctic records. Thus far it has been 

 taken in the northern part of the United States only as far west as 

 Minnesota, but from coast to coast in southern Canada. In Europe 

 its range is from Great Britain in the west across to and reaching 

 Russia in the east, from Norway in the north down to Spain and 

 Sardinia in the south. The adults examined were collected from 

 May 30 to August 30 in North America. 



The Alaskan specimens and some of the Palaearctic specimens 

 examined were noted to possess somewhat longer and more slender 

 claspers and to be somewhat darker. However, because of variations 

 shown by individual specimens in each region, nominal varieties are 

 not here recognized. Navtis (1935, p. 44) recognized var. nigripennis 

 Wesmael for the darker, more blackish forms of Europe. 



The synonymy of fuscata is complicated. Degeer (1771, p. 713, 

 pi. 22, figs. 8-11) described "Hemerobe velu noir," which Retzius 

 (1783, p. 59) later placed under the name Hemerobius niger. Olivier 

 (1792, p. 64) also gave a description for Hemerobius niger based on 

 Degeer's species. Burmeister (1839, p. 976) placed Degeer's species 

 in synonymy with S. fuscata. Walker (1853, p. 296) considered niger 

 a synonym of fuscata. Since Hemerobius niger {"Hemerobe velu noir" 

 of Degeer) was described in 1783, before Fabricius' description of 

 fuscatus in 1793, the former would seem to be the valid name on the 

 basis of priority. However, upon attempting to locate Degeer's 



