Insect Life on the Western Arctic Coast of America 23k 



May 11-20, 1915 



The first fly was noticed on May 18 and on the same day a large (probably 

 hibernating) parasitic wasp {Icheumon suturalis) and collembola, mites (Bdella 

 decipiens), small spiders, caterpillars, beetle larvae, c&rahids {Atfidra brunni- 

 pennis, etc.), all under loose, flat stones. Two of these caterpillars were observed 

 on July 11 to be parasitized by hymenopterous larvae; three other caterpillars 

 pupated July 13-20. 



May 31-31, 1916 



Many flies were out on May 21, both the big blue and two smaller species, 

 carabid beetles, spiders, and an ichneumonid wasp were noticed on this day, and 

 the common collembola, spiders, mites, caterpillars, and dipterous larvae. These 

 dipterous larvae {Tipula arctica, etc.) were placed for rearing (No. 106) and 

 made galleries in the sand in the jar before pupating in June. Parasitic 

 hymenopterous larvae were noticed in one of the crane-fly larvae, but efforts to 

 rear it were unsuccessful. Four adults {Tipula arctica) emerged July 7. One 

 species of caterpillar was about 1 cm. long, and occurred in numbers crawling 

 on a snow-free, dry sand dune near the beach. These larvae had perhaps hiber- 

 nated and they made their cocoons in June. One of the big spiders {Lycosa sp.) 

 was caught on May 31 in its funnel-shaped web. The mouth of this web was 

 about 2 cm. in diameter. 



The usually warm weather favoured the development of insect life in fresh 

 water; collembola {Isotoma palustris, Sminthurides aquaticus, etc.), surface- 

 spiders, copepods, dytiscid beetles {Colymbetes dolobratus) and mites {Galumna 

 lucens) were observed. Freshly-hatched mosquito larvae {Aedes sp.) 2-4 mm. 

 long, were noticed on May 31, or eighteen days earlier than in 1915. On the 

 same day various dytiscid beetles {Hydroporus sp., Collambus unguicularis, 

 Agabus nigripalpis) , oligochaete worms {Henlea sp.) were also seen, as were 

 tipulid (?) larvae, midge larvae, and the empty puparia of Mydaeina obscura. 



May £1-31, 1916 

 The following additional insects were noted : 



Carabid beetles iAmara hwmatopa) 



Spiders (see above). 



Weevils (Trichalophus stefanssoni) 



Flies (.Pliormia coerulea and a minute "jumping" fly) 



Parasitic insects are not greatly influenced by weather and it is, therefore, 

 unnecessary to deal with them under monthly subdivisions. Observations were 

 made of the two diptera that infest the caribou. All efforts to rear these grubs^ 

 from larvae were unsuccessful, although several methods of rearing were tried; 

 Some of the almost full-grown larvae were placed on fresh caribou meat, some in 

 bits of caribou skin with larvae in situ, some in a jar with sand, and even a whole 

 caribou skin containing grubs was rolled up to prevent drying. The grubs were 

 never brought through the pupal stage, although some were kept for more than 

 a year. The field observations agree with the account given by G. M. Douglas 

 on the caribou between Great Bear lake and Coppermine river .i 



Two female adults^ were caught at Bernard harbour July 14, 1916. The grubs 

 in the caribou skins examined at the end of May, 1915 and 1916, were very 

 numerous and all big. Only two, not full grown, larvae (22 mm. long) were found ; 

 they were wholly white except the fight brown fringes of body spines and the 

 dark brown, apical head dot and terminal spiracles. All the other larvae were 

 from 25 to 30 mm. long; the younger (smaller) of these had the chitinous head, 

 the terminal spiracles, and the body-spines dark brown, and fine dots of lighter 



1 Douglas, G. M., "Lands Forlorn," 1914, P- 191; photograph of grub-infested caribou skin, 



p. 192. 



2 CEdemagena tarandi (Linnfe). 



