Insect Life on the Western Arctic Coast of America 25x 



by melting water. A month later it was in only its post-larval stage and had 

 made its cocoon; it died later. Another, also a naked larva, but only half the 

 size, found in its web, pupated twelve days later; and the imago (a moth) 

 emerged July 10, 1916 (Rearing 113). The third, more hairy, pupated later; 

 but no imago emerged. 



On June 10 a carabid larva was placed for rearing. It pupated August 8, 

 but the imago was not discovered until September (Rearing 115). The habits 

 of a dipterous and lepidopterous larva boring in the flower-stem and root of 

 the common Pedicularis lanata were noted. The dipterous larva occupies 

 only the upper part of the pith and lies hidden there, often several together, 

 the younger larvae in grooves in the pith, the older in a burrow resembling that 

 made by the lepidopterous larva. These dipterous larvae and a few living pupae 

 collected June 10-16, 1916, were placed for rearing (Rearing 72). One imago 

 emerged July 6. Other larvae were collected July 16-18, 1915, and pupated 

 three months later, but came no farther. 



The boring caterpillars were of a small species, naked and of a brownish 

 colour; they mined both in the pith and in the upper part of the knotty root 

 of the plant. When this larva has the whole stem to itself, it burrows to the 

 top through which the frass is pushed out; but it stops burrowing just short 

 of the "chamber" with the dipterous larvae and then makes its hole in the outer 

 part of the stem or in the upper part of the root. In 1915 these larvae were 

 first noticed in July, but in 1916 on June 10. The larvae kept for rearing made 

 pupating cocoons on July 7, 1916, but never pupated, though efforts were made 

 to keep whole infested Pedicularis plants. 



June 1-10, 1915 



By June 2, the common insects had come from their shelters to enjoy the 

 mild weather. A brown ichneumonid wasp (Ophion sp.) was caught inland, 

 and the next day, farther inland, many of the common carabid beetles, a carabid 

 larva, several spiders and small, white collembola and two caterpillars. One 

 of these naked caterpillars proved, later, to be parasitized and the braconid 

 (Apanteles sp.) pupae were discovered July 11, the adults emerging July 16 to 

 August 16 (Rearing 40a). The other naked caterpillar (Rearing 50) began its 

 cocoon a week after it was collected and pupated July 5, 1915; the imago (a 

 small grey moth with black crossbands on the wings) emerged August 10, 1915. 



The stomachs of insectivorous birds (Passeres, plovers, etc.) which arrived 

 at Bernard harbour from the month of June on, were examined. The ingenuity 

 of these birds in finding food is astonishing; that they do not starve is shown 

 by the following content of the gizzard of a golden plover, Pluvialis dominica: 

 1 caterpillar, 1 tipulid larva, 2 curculionid larvae, and half a dozen carabid 

 beetles and weevils. A snow bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, had in its stomach 

 two caterpillars -about 1 cm. long. 



June 11-20, 1916 



Bumblebees (queens) are now seen frequently and are often infested with 

 the parasitic mites (Parasitus bomborum) attached mainly to the ventral side. 

 Saxifraga oppositifolia is about the only food flower now available, the male 

 catkins of the common willow (Salix anglorum) not ripening until after June 15. 

 The usual insects (spiders, carabid beetles, flies, hemipters (Chiloxanthes 

 stellatus, etc.) are common, the hemipters now not found exclusively under 

 stones and in plants, but running about freely. On June 20, a big curculionid 

 larva (Trichalophus stefanssoni) , white, with brown head, was found in its 

 pupating cell under a loose flat stone. It was placed for rearing (No. 122), 

 and during the first week of August it pupated; the beetle emerged about a 

 month later. 



