Clare Island Survey —Terrestrial Coleoptera. 28 3 



But although we believe that the greater portion of the beetle-fauna 

 arrived at the area which is now Clare Island whilst it was still part of the 

 mainland, yet there is no impossibility in a number of species having been 

 carried over the short distance which now separates the island from the mam- 

 land. On a hot spring or summer day beetles fly freely in the sunshine, 

 rising to a considerable height in the air, and with a favourable wind they 

 would easily be wafted from the mainland to the island. 



There are sandhills at Keel in Achill, at the southern entrance to Achill 

 Sound, and at Mulranny. These produced several interesting species, but no 

 Heterocerus was met with, though the environment was apparently suitable. 

 We may point out that the only record for Heterocerus for the west coast of 

 Ireland is Enniscrone, county Sligo, where Johnson obtained it in some 

 numbers. 



In the neighbourhood of Westport there are several lakes, also at Castlebar 

 and Louisburgh, and at these several good captures were made. The 

 interesting ground-beetle Pelophila borcalis Payk., has been taken at 

 Ballyhaunis, which is just outside the boundary of the district, and we 

 hoped to have met with it, but were disappointed ; however, there is every 

 reason to expect that it will yet be found in the Clare Island district. In this 

 connexion we would call attention to a few uncommon species which have 

 been taken at Leenane, on the southern side of Killary Bay, just beyond our 

 boundary. These include Homalota exilis Er., Quedius umbrinus Er., 

 Cryptobmm glaberrimum Herbst., and Chrysomela varians Schall. It is 

 highly probable that further research will disclose the presence of these insects 

 within the district. 



As might be expected, several of the species noted are of a western 

 trend in Ireland ; among these the following may be mentioned as having 

 no record from the east coast : — Lcistus montanus, 1 Dyschirius impicnctipennis, 

 Panagaeus crux-major, Stenolophus vespertinus, Aepas Robinii, Cymindis 

 vaporariorum, Homalota puncticeps, Stenus lustrator, and Cryptocephahis 

 aureolus. 



Of species that are of northern distribution the following representatives 

 have occurred, amongst others, in the district : — Carahus clathratus, Nebria 

 Gyllenhali, Blethisa multipunctata, Patrobus assimilis, Aphodius lapponum, 

 Otiorrhynchus blandus, and 0. maurus. But of those of distinctively southern 

 origin we can only mention Aepus Robinii and Rliopalomcsitcs I'ardyi. We do 

 not, however, attempt to draw any conclusions from these records, as we 



1 In the Dublin M useuni collection there is a handsome dark-green form of this alpine insect taken 

 by Mr. N. H. Foster on Slieve-na-Glogh in the Mourne Mountains during August, 1(102. We have 

 no record, however, of its occurrence on the Leinster range. 



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