Chapter XXXII: Appendix: II

INSECTS COLLECTED IN THE LIBYAN DESERT

THE collections of insects made in my first two seasons in the Libyan Desert were presented to the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, who in return very kindly undertook to “name” the specimens. Unfortunately, however, they were dispersed among the different departments of the museum before they had been identified, and I am told that the specimens cannot now be traced. This is to be regretted as no other collections have been made anywhere near the parts from which they came, and it would have been of great interest to see how far the influence of the strongly predominating northerly winds of the desert had affected the distribution of the various species.

The list given below is that of the insects collected in my last season. Unfortunately the conditions under which the journey was made prevented many specimens from being obtained from the more central parts of the desert.

The majority of those here mentioned are now in the Tring Museum, where they were most kindly identified for me by Lord Rothschild. The remainder of them are in the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, to the staff of which I am indebted for their kindness in naming them.

Some of the specimens, however, sent to this museum are not included in the list, as owing “to their condition or for some other reason” they could not be identified.

I. IDENTIFIED AT TRING

ARCTIIDÆ

_Utetheisa pulchella_ (Linn.). Farafra, 20/4/12.

NOCTUIDÆ

_Chloridea nubigera_ (Herrsch.). Camp IX, Libyan Desert, 5/4/12.

_Euxoa spinifera_ (Hubn.). Kairowin Hattia, Farafra, 12/4/12.

_Agrotis ypsilon_ (Rott.). Bu Gerara, 4/4/12.

_Cirphis loreyi_ (Dup.). Bu Gerara, 3/4/12.

_Athetis flava_ (Oberth.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17/3/12.

_Laphigma exixua_ (Hubn.). Camp IX, 4/4/12; Bu Gerara, 3-4/4/12; Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17/3/12.

_Phytometra gamma_ (Linn.). Kairowin Hattia, Farafra, 12/4/12. Camp XI, Farafra, 6/4/12; Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17/3/12.

_Leucanitis kabylaria_ (Bang, Haas.). Kairowin Hattia, Farafra, 10-12/4/12.

_Hypoglaucitis benenotata moses_ (Stdgr.). Kairowin Hattia, Farafra, 12/4/12.

_Anumeta hilgerti_ (Rothsch.). Kairowin Hattia, Farafra, 12/4/12.

PYRALIDÆ

_Ommatopteryx ocellea_ (Haw.). Camp XII, 17/4/12.

_Syria Kingi_ (Rothsch.). (_spec. nov._) Fifteen miles south of Bir Kairowin, 14/4/12.

_Syria variabillis_ (Rothsch.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17-23/3/12; Camp II, 23/3/12.

_Syria Libyca_ (Rothsch.). (_spec. nov._) Kairowin Hattia, Farafra, 12/4/12.

_Heterographis adustella_ (Rag.). Kairowin Hattia, Farafra, 12/4/12.

_Heterographis verburii_ (Butl.). Camp II, 23/3/12.

_Heterographis samaritanella_ (Zell.). Kairowin Hattia, Farafra, 12/4/12.

_Heterographis conversella_ (Led.). Camp II, 23/3/12.

_Nomophila noctuella_ (Schiff). Camp IX, Libyan Desert, 4/4/12; Bu Gerara, 3-4/4/12; Camp XI, Farafra, 6/4/12; Camp XII, 7/4/12; Camp IV, 25/3/12; Camp V, 26/3/12; Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17/3/12.

PYRAUSTIDÆ

_Cornifrons ulceratalis_ (Led.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17/3/12; Camp II, 23/3/12.

_Noctuelia floralis_ (Hmpsn.). Camp II, 23/3/12.

II. IDENTIFIED AT SOUTH KENSINGTON

TINEINA

GELECHIADÆ

_Aproærema mitrella_ (Wlsm.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17-18/3/12; Camp II, Libyan Desert, 23/3/12; Negeb er Rumi, Libyan Desert, 4/4/12. Seven specimens. (Tests J. H. Durrant.)

_Phthorimæa eremaula_ (Meyr). Dakhla Road, Libyan Desert, 26/3/12; Bu Gerara, Libyan Desert, 2-4/4/12. Three specimens. (Tests J. H. Durrant.)

PLUTELLIDÆ

_Plutella maculipennis_ (Crt.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 16-23/3/12; Camp II, Libyan Desert, 23/3/12; Dakhla Road, Libyan Desert, 26/3/12; Bu Gerara, Libyan Desert, 3-4/4/12; Negeb er Rumi, Libyan Desert, 4/4/12; Farafra Depression, Libyan Desert, 6/4/12; south of Bir Kairowin, 10/4/12. Fifty-three specimens. (Tests J. H. Durrant.)

TINEIDÆ

_Trichophaga abruptella_ (Wlstn.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17-18/3/12. Two specimens. (Tests J. H. Durrant.)

DIPTERA

MYCETOPHILIDÆ

_Macrocera_ (?) _nana_ (Macq.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 20-23/3/12. Three specimens. (Tests F. W. Edwards.)

CHIRONOMIDÆ

_Chironomus tripartitus_ (Kieff). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17-23/3/12. Two specimens. (Tests F. W. Edwards.)

SYRPHIDÆ

_Syrphus corollæ_ (Fabr.). Bu Gerara, Libyan Desert, 2-4/4/12. Two specimens. (Tests E. E. Austen.)

MUSCIDÆ

_Musca analis_ (Macq.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 16-20/3/12. Four specimens. (Tests E. E. Austen.)

_Musca angustifrons_ (Thoms.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 16-18/3/12. Two specimens. (Tests E. E. Austen.)

TACHINIDÆ

SARCOPHAGINÆ

_Disjunctis nuba_ (Wied.). Bu Gerara, Libyan Desert, 4/4/12. One specimen. (Tests E. E. Austen.)

ANTHOMYIDÆ

_Fannia canicularis_ (L.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 16/3/12. One specimen. (Tests E. E. Austen.)

TRYPETIDÆ

_Urellia stellata_ (Fuessl.). Abu Harag, Libyan Desert, 26/3/12. One specimen. (Tests E. E. Austen.)

PLANIPENNIA

CHRYSOPIDÆ

_Chrysopa vulgaris_ (Schneider). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17/3/12; Camp II, Libyan Desert, 23/3/12; Dakhla Road, Libyan Desert, 26/3/12; Abu Harag, Libyan Desert, 26/3/12; Bu Gerara, Libyan Desert, 2-3/4/12; Negeb er Rumi, Libyan Desert, 4/4/12. Twenty-five specimens. (Tests H. Campion.)

HEMIPTERA

REDUVIIDÆ

_Reduvius palliles_ (Klug). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 18/3/12. One specimen. (Tests C. J. Gahan.)

JASSIDÆ

_Chlorita flavescens_ (Fabr.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 20/3/12. Three specimens. (Tests F. Laing.)

COLEOPTERA

CARABIDÆ

_Stenolophus marginatus_ (Dej.). Camp II, Libyan Desert, 23/3/12. One specimen. (Tests G. J. Arrow.)

DERMESTIDÆ

_Dermestes frischi_ (Kug.). Bu Gerara, Libyan Desert, 2/4/12. One specimen. (Tests G. J. Arrow.)

SCARABÆIDÆ

_Aphodius hydrochæris_ (F.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17/3/12. One specimen. (Tests G. J. Arrow.)

_Aphodius granulifrons_ (Fairm.). Camp II, Libyan Desert, 23/3/12. One specimen. (Tests G. J. Arrow.)

_Aphodius sp_ (?). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 20/3/12. One specimen. (Tests G. J. Arrow.)

TENEBRIONIDÆ

_Ocnera hispida_ (Forsk.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 20/3/12. One specimen. (Tests K. G. Blair.)

ORTHOPTERA

GRYLLIDÆ

_Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa_ (L.). Meir, Dirut, Egypt, 17-21/3/12. Two specimens. (Tests B. Uvarov.)