Clare Island Survey — Aquatic Coleoptera. 29 3 



Mr. Halbert has suggested {loc. cit.) that Dytiscus btpponicus might be 

 expected to occur in some mountain tarn in this district and I think, 

 especially after the discovery of D. griseo striatus, which occurs with it in the 

 western islands of Scotland, it most probably occurs either in Achill or in 

 some of the loughs on the Curraun high ground where, I understand, alpine 

 plants are found. Several other highland species almost certainly occur in the 

 pools on the high ground as, for instance, Hydroporus morio and M. melanarius 

 and Agahus ardicus. The first species is found in Leitrim, Derry, Antrim, 

 Armagh and Wicklow, always in mountain districts, while the second I have 

 met with in Leitrim and Down, and it has been recorded from North Kerry 

 A. ardicus has so far occurred only in Antrim and "Wicklow but I have no 

 doubt that it will be found in many other localities, especially in the north 

 and west. 



With regard to Clare Island which, owing to the limited extent, I worked 

 more exhaustively than other parts of the district, there are three or four what 

 might be called main classes of habitat. First, the peat-moss pool habitat 

 covering most of Knocknaveen, Croaghmore and the western end of the 

 island ; secondly the lake habitat which is very limited in extent, and thirdly 

 a fresh-water marsh habitat, also very limited, found chiefly in the south and 

 east of the island on the farm-land area, soil which has presumably been 

 converted by man from acid into mild humus. A fourth kind of habitat might 

 be added and that is the streams which are very few and small and which, 

 unfortunately, I entirely neglected. By far the greater part of the island is 

 composed of peaty ground so that the oxylophile fauna naturally pre- 

 dominates. 



The only species characteristic of the lake habitat were found in Creggan 

 Lough and in a smaller lough or large pond (Loughanaphuca) at the western 

 end of the island. Haliplus fulvus and Laccophilus obscurus occurred in both 

 these while Deronedes assimilis occurred only in Creggan Lough. 



The cultivated area had a fauna of thirty-four species out of the total of 

 forty-seven taken on the island. Nine collections were made in this area, and 

 probably every pond and marsh was worked. Of the fauna eleven species 

 occurred here and nowhere else on the island. These were : — 



Hydroporus planus. Laccobius alutaceus. 



Agabus paludosus. L. minutus. 



llybiusfuliginosus. Limnebius truncatellus. 



Dytiscus punctulatus. Octhebius pygmaeus. 



Hydrobius fuscipes. Cyclonotum orbiculare. 

 Philhydrus coarctatus. 



A2 



