Fróðskaparrit - 01.07.2004, Page 50

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WETLAND COLEOPTERA OF THE FAROE ISLANDS
ed being brevipalpis. It is surprising that
this species has not been encountered by us.
H. brevipalpis has a bimodal daily flight
pattern (Lewis and Taylor, 1965) but with
morning flight activity lending itself to
long distance transport. This is the most
abundant water beetle in flight in westem
Europe in early summer, and it is conceiv-
able that earlier finds relate to occasional
migrations reaching the Faroes.
Helophorus flavipes (Fab.). Confusion has
been engendered by continued reference to
H. viridicollis Stephens, treated as a syn-
onym of H.flavipes by Angus (1992), but a
name that covered at least one other
species, obscurus Mulsant, before the full
nature of the complex was resolved. It is
unlikely that any member of the complex
other than flavipes occurs in the Faroes.
West (1930) indicated that viridicollis was
“not to be common in the Faroes and not to
occur in the northern isles”. Bengtson
(1981) echoed this information for H.
fiavipes: “apparently not very common and
mainly confmed to the southern islands”,
adding that the eight localities were in
grassland and in rich vegetation on cliffs
and shelves, presumably as pitfall trap ma-
terial. But Bengtson (1981) continued to
treat viridicollis as a separate species: he
also identified Mjoberg’s (1917) H.
glacialis Villa as viridicollis, thus referable
to flavipes.
In 2004 this species was usually found
as single specimens, and in a range of habi-
tats from the more typical acid water pools
to a saltpan and a river. Bringing all the
records together, it has been found on the
following islands: Suðuroy, Stóra Dímun,
Sandoy, Koltur, Hestur, Streymoy, Eystur-
oy and Svínoy.
HYDROPHILIDAE
Cercyon haemorrhoidalis (Fab.). Sharp
(1900) recorded Cercyon flavipes as being
taken by Nelson Annandale near Tórshavn
in June 1900; C. flavipes (Fab.) is an ac-
cepted synonym of haemorrhoidalis. West
(1930) noted the occurrence of C. haemor-
rhoidalis in all sorts of dung in most Faroe-
se isles. He assigned Mjoberg’s (1917) C.
melanocephalus L. to this species. We
found this species in sheep dung on
Streymoy and Sandoy, and in sheep and
cow dung on Vágar.
Cercyon marinus Thomson. Mjoberg
(1917) reported this species from Trangis-
vaag (now Trongisvágur), Suðuroy, with-
out any reference to habitat. West (1930)
checked Mjoberg’s material in the State
Museum of Natural History, Stockholm.
This species occurs in wet, often decom-
posing, vegetation, and, as such, must be
regarded as the only truly freshwater Cer-
cyon species. We failed to find it.
Cercyon littoralis (Gyllenhal). Mjoberg
(1917) was also the fírst to record this
species in the Faroes, again from Trongis-
vágur, Suðuroy. West (1930) noted this
record and added a second from under the
carcase of a crow on Sandoy. We found two
specimens under dead seaweed at Søltuvík,
Sandoy on 6 June 2004. Other variants on
spelling the name are incorrect.