Clare Island Survey — Lepidoptera. 26 3 



also occur there. But there is no limestone outcrop of this sort within a con- 

 siderable distance of Westport, and our research was necessarily circumscribed. 



The captures on Clare Island, taken in the order of classification, may be 

 shortly recapitulated first. Among the butterflies Vanessa cardui, with its 

 powerful flight, visits the island, and perhaps breeds in suitable seasons as well 

 as V. io. Satyrus semele, though in sparse numbers, frequents the rocky head- 

 lands. The " blues " were represented by Bycaena icarus and B. minima, and 

 two of the Sphinges occur, Ghaerocampa elpenor and Smerintlms populi. The 

 four handsome moths Nemeopliila russida, Bombyx quercus, B. rubi, and Saturnia 

 pavonia were found on their moorland haunts ; and the Puss-moth, Bicranura 

 vinula, probably feeds on Salix repens, as well as other species of sallow that 

 grow in scrubland found in sheltered hollows on the eastern side of the 

 island. Notodonta ziczag also breeds there. Such Noctuae as were taken are 

 of small interest and almost universally distributed through Ireland. Two 

 species of Agrotis which breed on sand-hills were found on a small patch 

 of that deposit on the shore close to the harbour, Agrotis vestigialis and 

 A. tritici, both of normal type. Cuctdlia umbratica was extremely plentifu 

 and flew to flowers at dusk. Both species of Habrostola were taken, 

 H. triplasia and H. tripartita. Among the Geometers the most notable was 

 Basydia obfusoaria, which fell to the lot of Professor Carpenter, of the Royal 

 College of Science, Dublin, who, when turning over a stone in search of 

 Springtails, discovered a freshly emerged specimen of it extended on its surface. 

 This rare insect will be referred to later on. Of other Geometridae the 

 following may be mentioned : — Scodiona belgiaria, which is a frequenter of flat 

 wet bogs in the west of Ireland, but in my experience is never abundant ; 

 Barentia caesiata and B. salicata, both of which inhabit mountain moors, the 

 former sometimes very abundant, but only a few were seen on Clare Island ; 

 Bupithecia oblongata, E, satyrata var. callunaria, and E. nanata, the latter 

 frequent on bogs ; Phibalapteryx vittata, one, frequents marshes, and, except in 

 some localities, is somewhat rare ; Platyptilia isodactylus, a very local plume- 

 moth feeding on Senecio aquaticus; the only western localities where I have 

 taken it hitherto are Markree Castle, Co. Sligo, and Moycullen in Connemara. 



Of the Microlepidoptera, which seem certainly scarce on Clare Island, the 

 following are interesting : — Crambus uliginosellus, not hitherto recorded from 

 Ireland ; Sericoris (Olethreutes) micana, also new ; Mixodia palustrana, of which 

 there are only two Irish records ; Hypermecia augustana and Argyrolepia 

 (Phalonia) badiana, also new Irish records. Of Tineae, Plutella maexdipennis 

 is new to Ireland, and Bryotropha politella hitherto recorded only from the 

 Belfast district. Very little research on this group of insects has hitherto 

 been done in Ireland. 



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