MICROLEPIDOPTERA OF NEW GUINEA 
169 
However, as recently as 1949, the Swiss Sumba Expedition brought home 
an excellent collection of these insects. Only a beginning is made with the 
study of this material, but the first impression one gets is that Sumba has 
little in common with either New Guinea or Australia; it seems to resemble 
most the fauna of Java (Diakonoff, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel , vol. 63, 
p. 138, 1952). 
The third, generally accepted bridge between New Guinea and the 
Oriental region are the Moluccas. This bridge has functioned, disappeared, 
and was restored again repeatedly during the complicated geological 
history of these islands, and the movement of animals along this track 
has been in both directions. This theory, well-founded on the evidence of 
the distribution of other animals, applies also to that of the Micro- 
lepidoptera, of which the above table bears proof as well, however scanty 
the available data are. Five genera occurring in the Papuan region as well 
as in the Moluccas were also recorded from the Indo-Malayan region, two 
from Oriental and Australian regions and three from the Moluccas only. 
Correlation with remote faunas 
The influence of the fauna of New Zealand appears to be not difficult 
to explain. Four genera occur in the Central Region in common with that 
country, three of which are also recorded from Australia. The fourth 
genus, the Tortricid Harmologa, very probably inhabits Australia as well ; in 
fact it has been frequently recorded from that continent, but we are at 
present not able to ascertain which of the species actually belong to 
Harmologa, and which must be referred to Isot&nes, which genus has been 
for short confounded with the former genus. 
The Central Region has eight genera in common with the Palaearctic 
region. Two of these, Thiotricha and Hypercallia, are almost cosmopolitan 
and may as well be omitted. Of much greater interest are the six remaining 
genera, all of them belonging to the Alpine fauna which will be treated 
separately. 
The North American fauna has five genera in common with our Region. 
One of these, Meridarchis, is widely distributed and not worth of special 
attention. The Tortricid Polyortha is closely allied to the cosmopolitan 
Peronea and might appear to have a wider distribution than is accepted 
at present. The presence of the Elachistid Cosmiotes, however, is very 
puzzling; it will be discussed with the Alpine fauna. 
Some time ago the question whether any “American” element was 
represented in the fauna of Microlepidoptera of New Guinea was answered 
by Meyrick (Trans. Ent. Soc. Bond., vol. 87, p. 503, 1938) categorically 
in the negative. At present we are able to record one generic name, Sereda 
which North America and New Guinea have in common; this is a small 
genus, represented in both countries by a single specimen. For another 
genus, the above mentioned Cosmiotes, we may refer to the discussion of 
the Alpine fauna below. 
