PROCEEDINGS 



STATEN ISLAND ASSOCIATION 



OF 



ARTS AND SCIENCES 



Vol. Ill October-December, 1909 Part I 



List of the Macrolepidoptera of Staten Island, New York 



William T. Davis 



It is not supposed that the following list is complete, and many 

 additions are expected, but on the other hand some of the species 

 mentioned will probably not again be found, owing to the city con- 

 ditions which are prevailing over an ever wider area of the island. 



Thecla augustus is one of the butterflies that has steadily de- 

 creased in numbers, owing probably to the frequency of forest 

 fires. Some other species, as Colias cacsonia, have been found on 

 the island during only a single summer, and still others, like Tcrias 

 nicippe and Pyranieis carditi, sometimes occur in considerable 

 numbers and have then not been seen again for several years. 

 As a rule Lepidoptera are more numerous when the summer is 

 rather dry, thus preventing a great mortality to the larvae through 

 fungus diseases. These were the conditions in several of the 

 years covered by this record, notably the summers of 1901 and 

 1910. So the years differ considerably from one another to a 

 collector of insects, who goes afield ever expecting a surprise. 



In the following list, the months when the insects were col- 

 lected have been mentioned, and for the greater part the notes 

 that accompanied portions of the list previously published have 



I 



