30 2 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



specially sought for, which no doubt accounts for many absentees from the 

 list, especially as I believe the Hemiptera to be decidedly later in reaching 

 maturity in these exposed western localities than they are in the south of 

 Ireland. 



In the following list there are records of some 172 species of Hemiptera, 

 belonging, with two exceptions, to the Heteroptera and Cicadina groups. The 

 only species of the family Coccidae noted were Chionaspis salicis and Orthesia 

 cataphracta ; the latter is common in moss throughout the district. No 

 attempt was made to collect the Aphidae, an important group which has not 

 been studied to any extent in this country. 



Naturally the great majority of the species recorded below are common 

 and widely distributed in the British Isles. There is, however, a leavening 

 of rare or local species, including the usual mixture of northern and southern 

 forms, which we find in all orders of insects in the west of Ireland. As 

 examples, the following may be referred to : — Orthostira cervina, Aepophilus 

 Bonnairei, Gerris costac, Myrmedobia tenella, Teratocm-is Saundcrsi, Bicyphus 

 paUidicornis, Gorixa Scotti, Gorixa German, Gixius brachycranus, Iribumia 

 distinct a, Limotcttix intermedia^ and Orthesia cataphracta. 



The most interesting of these is undoubtedly Aepophilus Bonnairei, a sub- 

 maritime insect which was found iu its usual habitat, between tide-marks, at 

 Blacksod, as well as on the Galway coast. Since the discovery of this local 

 species by Mr. A. B. Nichols on the shore at Dungarvan, it has been regarded 

 as one of our most typical Lusitanian animals, as it is only found on the 

 French and Spanish coasts, and in the soulh-west of England (see page 7). 

 Bearing in mind the continental distribution of Aepophilus, this extension of 

 its known range into the west of Ireland is not surprising. 



From a survey of the hemipterous fauna I should be inclined to believe 

 that the southern element is not so well represented in West Mayo as it is in 

 the more diversified county of Galway. For instance, in the family 

 Pentatomidae, which includes the " shield-bugs," only three species were 

 found iu the Clare Island district, though a fourth, Pentatoma baccarvm, almost 

 certainly occurs. 



In various parts of Galway I have found Pentatoma prasina (at Boss), 

 Pentatoma baccarum (Bouudstone), Pii-.odorus lituratus, Pieromerus bidens 

 (Moycullen), Podisus luridus (Clou brock and Woodford), and the brightly 

 coloured Zicrona coerulca (Woodford). These insects have a decidedly 

 southern range in the Britannic area ; and it is not unlikely that some of 

 them may prove absent from West Mayo. 



As Clare Island is the centre of interest in these researches, it should 

 perhaps be mentioned that sixty-six species, including twenty-six Homoptera, 



