Insect Life on the Western Arctic Coast of America 29 k 



common. The first Brenthis were seen on the 6th, the firsl Oeneti on the 7th. 

 the first Erebia on the 9th. An occasional phryganeoid imago is Been and a 

 great variety of flies, crane-flies, (tipulidae), and midges. Small jumping-flies 

 were common on dry seaweed July 1. The first biting mosquitoes {Aides sp. 

 were seen July 9, at the harbour, and soon became troublesome. 



Among the many insects found upon the ground, large spiders Lycosa Bp.)are 



seen feeding on other spiders, and beetles. Minute, dark-red mite T ■///- 

 bidium sucidum) frequents the gravelly slopes with southern exposure, where an 

 occasional weevil (Sitona sp., Trichalophus sp.) or chrysomelid beetle, and the 

 common carabids may also be seen. The minute hemiptera {Ortholytue -p.?) 

 are seen only on calm, sunny days or in well-sheltered places, otherwise remain- 

 ing hidden in the plant tufts (Oxytropis, Potentilla, etc.). They make a noi 

 something like the chirp of the grasshopper. They were first noticed July <i and 

 were in different stages; the smallest ones moulted, embedding their trunks in 

 a plant stem; the somewhat larger ones had orange abdomen, head, and wii.. 

 with blue-black eyes and dark, brown legs. The largest were green with head, 

 eyes, wings, and legs light brown. All had two pairs of rudimentary wii i 

 Other small, wingless, dark brown hemiptera 2 mm. long, were seen. Puparia of 

 various flies taken from plants and moss were placed for rearing on 7th I Rearing 

 67) and from one of these the imago emerged five days later. 



Among the various lepidopterous larvae and pupae was the caterpillar mining 

 in the stems and root of Pedicularis lanata noticed for the first time this year 

 on the 4th. A cocoon collected on the 7th, had a smooth, black pupa 2 cm. 

 long attached to a stone and proved to be the rare moth Hyppraia f estiva; the 

 imago emerged on July 24, and began to lay its eggs two weeks later (Rearing 68). 



A pond on the tundra near the harbour contained only white oligochaete 

 worms (Henlea sp.), thus showing a surprising lack of insect life as compared 

 with other ponds. In a nearby pond were noticed two days later — Larva 

 of midges, dytiscids and in the overflow from the pond an abundance of animal- 

 culae. On July 6, many larvae, of all sizes, and pupae of common mosquito 

 (Aedes sp.) were found in ponds, and several intermediate stages were noticed: 

 first the abdomen shows the pupal characters; then the thorax; and soon tie' 

 "pre-pupa" much paler than the immediately following pupa appears. The 

 pupae are easy to rear, as they need no food, and about a week later the adults 

 emerge (Rearing 59, 59a). Efforts to rear the dystiscid larvae with these mos- 

 quito larvae as food, failed. 



July 11-20, 1916 



On the 14th inst., the shores of Dolphin and Union strait were visited and a 

 great number of flying insects were observed. Mosquitoes {Aedes nearcticus) 

 were troublesome in sheltered places; flies, Pogomyia quadrisetosa , Rhamphomyia 

 conservativa, etc.) were noticed on the flowers of Dryas, Potentilla, etc.: (PI. 

 I, fig. 1), and two female bot-flies. CEdemagena {Hypoderma) tarandi, were cap- 

 tured. They made no sound until placed in the killing bottle when they pro- 

 duced a buzzing noise of short duration. These are the flies whose maggots 

 are found in the caribou. Many bumblebees (Bombus sylvicola, etc.). butterflies 

 (Colias sp., Oeneis sp., Brenthis sp., Lycacna aquilo), and various moths \\< 

 collected; the butterflies had wings scaleless and somewhal torn, where exposed 

 to the wind on the open tundra; the moths were found principally upon the 

 sheltered slopes of gravel ridges. The common invertebrates, including inse< 

 were observed in ponds; even a waterhole with brackish water and many green 

 algae contained midge larvae, and was teeming with dark-red copepodfl / '//- 

 temora sp.) a favourite food for the phyllopods (Branchineeta palvdoea), also 

 found here. 



