Fróðskaparrit

						YVIRLIT YVIR FIRVALDAR I FØROYUM

105

glaucicolella, Acleris sparsana, Epinotia

caprana, Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla, Eup-

ithecia pusillata, and Amphipoea lucens,

apparently also belong to this category.

Most of these species have been discovered

during the last years. At present their oc-

currence on the Faroe Islands are based on

only few specimens and a very short period

of observation. For this reason their posi-

tion on the list are annotated with a ques-

tion mark and further observations are

needed to clarify their stability as resident

species.

Forty species in the list which do not

have stable populations are placed under

the migratory categories M and V. Their

presence in the Faroe Isles is mainly depen-

dent on meteorological factors and long

range transportation with aircurrents. This

was evident during two invasions in 1992

and 1996 (Kaaber et al, 1994, Kaaber,

1997). 25 of the recent additions to the

checklist belong to these two categories.

The majority of these species are also

recorded as migrants or vagrants, both on

Iceland (Olafsson, 1991, Olafsson and

Bjørnsson, 1997) and Shetland (Penning-

ton, 1997c).

The remaining twelve species in the

checklist are categorized as casual intro-

duction (C). In the former checklist a simi-

lar category was only used for the two mi-

gratory butterflies Inachis io and Aglais ur-

ticae (Wolff, 1970). In the present list this

category has been used for those species

which have been transported to the Faroe

Isles either with goods and victuals or on

imported living plants . Thus the category

mainly   includes   synanthropous   species

such as Tineola bisselliella, Paralipsa gu-

laris, Anagasta kuehniella, Plodia inter-

punctella, and accidentally introduced

species such as Pieris rapae, Caradrina

morpheus, C.clavipalpis and Antichioris

spec, but also species such as Caloptilia

elongella, Coleophora serratella, Acleris

comariana and A.notana with a potential

for colonization of the Faroe isles. The ma-

jority of the recorded species are apparent-

ly unable to establish themselves in the At-

lantic climate. In the course of time some

have become naturalised and have after-

wards spread into other suitable areas, such

as the Winter moth Operophtera brumata

(Koponen, 1985). At present foreign plant

importation in the Faroe Isles mainly takes

place at the nursery in Hoyvík on Streym-

oy, where one of the light traps was used

during the years from 1990 to 1996. It

would therefore be of great interest to con-

tinue the monitoring of this area with a light

trap in the years to come.

The many recent additions to the check-

list are illustrative, as they demonstrate an

impressive spreading capacity of many Eu-

ropean lepidoptera species and a continu-

ous and dynamic pressure on the native fau-

na of the Faroe Islands.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank his friends, Mr. Peter

Gjelstrup, the Museum of Natural History in Aarhus,

specialist in soil invertebrates, for good companionship

during the field work 1990-96, and Dr. Dorete Bloch,

director of the Føroya Náttúrugripasavn, Tórshavn, for

excellent working facilities during the years. A cordial

acknowledgement is also extended to those persons who

have cooperated on the five light traps which have been

in function during the period 1990-1997: the crew on the

Akraberg lighthouse and Mr. Eiler Djurhuus in Trongis-