Fróðskaparrit

						104

AN ANNOTATED LIST OF LEPIDOPTERA KNOWN FROM THE FAROE ISLANDS

Hoyvík, a male and a female 2-9.VIII.1993.

Kunoy, at'emale 10-28.VIII.1996. Vág: Miðvágur,

amale 6-31.VII. 1997 (NM).

(50)  Xestia c-nigrum.Vagrant. One light trap record.

Kunoy, one 6-17.VIII.1997 (NM).

(51)  Xestia alpicola. The mountainous Faroe popula-

tion has been described as ssp.atlantica (Kaaber,

1996).

(52)  Anaplectoides prasina.Vagrant. An offshore

record was made in 1996 where a male specimen

was found on August 10 on a ship five kilometers

north of Viðoy (Paco Bustamante leg., FN ). See

Kaaber(1997).

(53)  Arctia caía.Vagrant. One light trap record.

Sud:Trongisvágur a male 24.VII- 6.VIII.1995

(NM).

(54)  Antichloris spec. Casual introduction. A dead pupa

was found in its web among imported bananas in a

supermarket in Tórshavn in 1993 by Mr.Jens-

Kjeld Jensen, Nólsoy and shown to SK in 1994. A

final determination has not yet been made.

Discussion

The present checklist enumerates 108

species, an increase of 51 species compared

with the former checklist from 1970. The

three butterfly species in the list without

figures represent records based solely on

observations. Due- to the lack of voucher

material the reliability of these records can

be questioned. With regard to the observa-

tions of Colias crocea and Pieris brassicae,

misidentification has been considered neg-

ligible (Kaaber et al, 1994). In the case of

the third species, Nymphalis antiopa, this

risk is much more significant. Thus the two

related butterflies Vanessa io and Inachis io

can easily be confused with antiopa due to

their swift and powerful flight and dark ap-

pearance, especially when viewed at some

distance. Furthermore it is suggestive, that

antiopa neither in Shetland nor on Iceland,

contrary to the Faroe sightings, has been

recorded in May or June, but only in Au-

gust-September. In Shetland the species

has been recorded on six occasions, in

every case with a close relationship with a

concurrent migration into Southern Eng-

land (Gear, 1995). The three records from

Iceland have all been connected with tim-

ber importation from Europe during late

summer (Olafsson and Bjørnsson, 1997).

The Faroe sightings may, however, be in-

terpreted as casual vagrants from Western

Norway. At the present stage of knowledge

Nymphalis antiopa is placed on the check-

list with reservation, and it is to be hoped

that its presence there can be safely con-

firmed in future.

Nine lepidoptera species which earlier

have been recorded from the Faroe Islands

have not turned up since 1970, despite the

efforts which have been made during the

study to rediscover them. Two of these

species, Tinea pallescentella and Elachista

albidella are probably overlooked due to

secretive habits and inconspicuous appear-

ance. Another three, Coleophora serratel-

la, Acleris notana and Chloroclysta citrata,

have seemingly no resident populations on

the Faroes at this time. The well-known and

conspicuous migrant moth Acherontia at-

ropos has always been a great rarity on the

Faroes, where it wás last observed about

1953 (Wolff, 1970).The three last species

in this group, Paralipsa gularis, Anagasta

kuehniella and Caradrina clavipalpis, have

all been introduced with victuals and may

therefore turn up on the Faroes in future.

Among the 56 species, listed under the

category R, 48 have stable Faroe popula-

tions. Further eight species, namely Tinea

pallescentella, Coleophora versurella and