The Lepidoptera of Greenland

Abstract

The paper presents an up-to-date survey of all species of Lepidoptera known to occur in Greenland. As a number of species included in previous lists have proved to be incorrectly identified, the taxonomical status of each species accepted in the present list has been studied carefully, preferably by means of examination of the genitalia. The list is accompanied by photographs of the adults and, in all cases where it has been found useful, of the genitalia as well.

As the insect fauna of Greenland is extremely limited, the list comprises but 52 species, among them hardly more than t.1 indigenous Greenland Lepidoptera. Two species, one belonging to the family Tortricidae, the other to the family Gelechiidae, are described as n.spp. The occurrence in Greenland of each species listed is illustrated on a separate map.

The previous distinction between "western" and "eastern" species occurring on either side of a line drawn from Kap Farve! in the south to Nordostrundingen in the northeast is quite unnatural, whereas a line running from a point south of Scoresbysund in the east to south of Dundas in the northwest seems to form a natural boundary for the distribution of a certain group of species limited to North and East Greenland.

Conditioned by the geographical situation of Greenland, the terrestrial fauna comprises nearctic as well as palaearctic elements. Its insect fauna as a whole is often regarded as mainly palaearctic, an assumption which, however, is far from being supported by an analysis of the zoogeographical position of the fauna! Components within the Greenlandic Lepidoptera. While 39 °lo of the Lepidoptera must be counted as holarctic or circumpolar forms, the palaearctic share amounts to only 15%, but the nearctic element to no less than 46%.

Concerning the ways in which the nearctic taxa may have migrated into Greenland, attention is drawn to dispersal through the air as a highly important factor.