Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1999, Page 156

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NOTES ON TWO MIGRANT MOTHS FROM THE FAROE ISLANDS,
AGROTIS SEGETUM (L.) AND NOCTUA ORBONA (Hfn) (LEPIDOPTERA, NOCTUIDAE)
Introduction
During the period from 1990 to 1999, a sur-
vey was conducted of the lepidoptera fauna
of the Faroe Islands by the first author
(SK). The aims were to study the species
content of the various ecological niches in
the islands and to assess the importance of
migratory movements on the native fauna.
During the study period, 47 lepidoptera
species, previously unknown in the Faroe
Islands, were encountered together with 52
previously recorded species. This has in-
creased the species content of the fauna
from 57 in 1970 to 109 in 1999 (Kaaber,
1997b; 1999). At least 43 of these species
are considered to be migratory or vagrant,
and most of them have already been
recorded in the neighbouring faunas of Ice-
land and Shetland, where studies of the in-
sect faunas have been conducted far longer
and by far more students and resident natu-
ralists than in the Faroes.
At present, the knowledge of the Faroes
lepidopterous fauna is so comprehensive,
that current additions should be published
and commented on due to their general in-
terest. The aim of the present article, there-
fore, is to publish records of two moth
species previously unrecorded in the fauna
of the Faroes Islands and to discuss their
origin and local status.
Material
Agrotis segetum (L.)
On 21 June 1996 after a calm day, the sec-
ond author (SA) visited the damp meadows
at Oyrabakki on Eysturoy at midnight to
watch the flight and courtship of the Ghost
moth (Hepialus humuli), in Faroese, the
Fig. 1. Male specimen ofAgrotis segetum (L.)from
the Faroe Islands. Eysturoy, Oyrarbakki 21. VI.1996.
(Photo by Føroya Náttúrugripasavn).
Mynd 1. Kalldýr av Agrostus segetum (L.) úr Føroy-
um. Eysturoy, Oyrarbakki 21.VI. 1996. Føroya Nátt-
úrugripasavn tók myndina
Hulda. On that occasion, no H. humuli
were seen, but a number of noctuid moths
were feeding on Marsh Marigold (Caltha
palustris), including several Autographa
gamma, a regular Faroes migrant moth.
Among them was a different-looking moth
that was caught for identification. After it
was set, it was evident that it did not belong
to the usual Faroes midsummer moths,
Mniotype adusta sommeri (Lef.) or Apa-
mea crenata (Hfn.). During the winter, the
moth was sent to a Danish lepidopterist,
Mr.Uffe Seneca, in Kalundborg, who iden-
tified the specimen in question as Agrotis
segetum, a male, now kept at the Føroya
Náttúrugripasavn in Tórshavn, Fig. 1. At a