Chyromyidae (Diptera) in IrelandAuthor(s): Peter ChandlerSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Jan., 1989), pp. 30-31Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25539338 .

Accessed: 15/06/2014 00:31

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The IrishNaturalists' Journal.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.147 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:31:38 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

30 Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 23 No. 11989

J29069G'\ in the collection of the late W.S. Wright at the University of Ulster, Coleraine (batavus is the Dutch sub-species of this butterly

? author). Irwin (A. G. 1970 Entomologist's Ree. J. Var. 82:

215) reports a probable specimen from Malinmore, Co Donegal, on 24.8.1968, though there is no

record of its release at this stage. Lyne (J. E. 1969 Entomologist's Ree. J. Var. 81:305) reports one in

the Bog of Allen, Co Kiidare, on 7.9.1969. In response to this letter, Heal (H. G. 1970 Entomologist's

Ree. J Var. 82: 31) mentioned the release of two females from his garden at Dunmurry in August

1969. This is about 130 miles north of the Bog of Allen and 110 miles east of Malinmore. He

speculated that one was blown far to the south by strong northerly winds. It is also known that Heal

introduced large coppers to the Downpartrick marshes, Co Down, in the 1960's (T. Boyd pers.

comm.), but the colony is believed to have failed after the first year, perhaps due to scarcity of the larval foodplant great water dock Rumex hydrolapathum (L.). I have no further information at present.

Lysandra hellargus (Rott.) adonis blue: Wilson (J.S. 1917 Entomologist 50: 237) reports a single male at the Amphitheatre, Giant's Causeway, Co Antrim, in August 1916, but this was almost

certainly a brightly coloured male common blue. It seems very unlikely that anyone would have

introduced this species, especially as its larval food-plant horseshoe vetch (Hippocrepis comosa (L,))

does not grow in Ireland.

Pyronia tithonus (L.) gatekeeper or hedge brown: An anonymous writer in the 1874 Guide to Belfast

(Anon. 1874 op. cit.) says "tf. tithonus has been taken at Glenarm Co Antrim, but is very rare". The

writer may have been C. W. Watts, who was in general a reliable entomologist, though he does not use

the first person. As the gatekeeper was recorded from a few parts of SW Scotland in the mid to late

19th century (Thomson G. 1980 The Butterflies of Scotland: A Natural History. Croom Helm, London) and in Northumberland and Durham into the early 20th century (Dunn, T. C. and Parrack, J.

D. 1986, The Moths and Butterflies of Northumberland and Durham. Northern Naturalists' Union,

Newcastle), it does seem possible that it could have existed as far north as Glenarm. It is a species liable to some expansion and contraction of range, as happened when its range contracted in the north

in the late 19th century (Heath, J., Pollard, E., E,, and Thomas, J. 1984 Arte of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland. Viking, Harmondsworth, Middlesex). Even today it exists as far north as Cumbria.

I have deliberately excluded Cos Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal from the scope of this article. I

understand Mr R, Sheppard is in the process of writing an article on the butterflies of Co Donegal.

Corrigenda to Rippey (L 19% Ir. Nat. J. 22: 133-140): pi34. under brimstone, change 29.5.85 to 31.5,85;p!35, change (L.) ofPolyommatus icarus to (Rott.); pi 36, under holly blue, change 8 males to 6. males; pl36, under red admiral, change 34 to 38, 8 to 12 and 1975/76 to 1976/77; pl36, under painted lady, change 47 to 48, 34 to 38 and on pl37, 4 to 5; p!38 change Parage to Pararge.

13 Enniscrone Park, Portadown, Co Armagh IAN RIPPEY

CHYROMYIDAE (DIPTERA) IN IRELAND The Chyromyidae are a small family with six species in three genera in the British fauna, the four

species in Chyramya Robineau-Desvoidy and Gymnochiromyia Hendel being striking by their almost entirely yellow colour and iridescent greenish eyes in life,

Chyramya flava (L.) was recorded as new to Ireland by Speight (M. C. D. 1988 Ir. Nat. J. 22: 415) from the female collected in his Dublin garden. This was indeed the first published record of the family from Ireland but it should be noted that three species are represented in the collection of A. H.

Haliday at the National Museum, Dublin, including flava although only two more recent records of this species can be cited. The data of this material is as follows:

Chyramya flava (L.) Five specimens labelled Ireland only (A, H. Haliday, det J, E. Collin); one specimen labelled Dublin, garden without date or collector (National Museum, Dublin); Co Dublin, Harold's Cross, 13.6.1950, one female (A. W. Stelfox, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.).

Chyramya oppidana (Scopoli) Four examples, two labelled Ireland, one labelled Scyphella lutea by Haliday, another labelled lutea (Fallen), a synonym of oppidana, by J. E. Collin (A. H. Haliday, National Museum, Dublin).

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.147 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:31:38 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 23 No. 11989 31

Gymnochiromyia flavella (Zetterstedt) Two specimens labelled Portmarnock, Co Dublin, one labelled minima (Becker), a synonym of

flavella, by J. E. Collin.

The two species of the third British genus Aphaniosoma Becker occur locally on the coast, where

they visit flowers, but I do not know of any recent records and they have not been found in Ireland. A

second Gymnochiromyia, G. inermis Collin, also occurs in Britain where it develops in wood detritus or birds' nests (Collin, J. E., 1933 Entomologist's mon. Mag. 69: 272-275, plate 8) and the

"Chyromya sp." which I reared from rotten wood debris in a decaying elm (Chandler, P. J. 1973

Entomologist's Gaz. 24: 329-346) was G. inermis. Any of these species could also occur in Ireland.

G. flavella is frequent on sand dunes in the southwest and Wales in Britain and presumably occurred on the dunes at Portmarnock. C. flava is a common species in Britain, developing in birds'

nests and also wood detritus (Collin op. cit.) and is probably widespread in Ireland. It is often found in

light traps but is usually overlooked by general collecting. C. oppidana is not well known, most

specimens in collections being old,

It should be noted that most examples offlava in collections are females and there are two other

closely related species in Europe which are more readily separated in the male. These aiefemorella

(Fallen) and miladae Andersson and can be recognised from Andersson (H. Ent. Tidskr. 92: 95-99,

1976 Entomologica Scand.7: 187-189). C, oppidana and both species of Gymnochiromyia may also

be determined from the key provided by Andersson (op. cit.). The Aphaniosoma species can be

determined from the revision of the Palaearctic species by Collin (J. E. 1949 Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (12) 2: 127-147).

Weston Research Laboratories, Vanwall Road, Maidenhead, Berks. SL6 4UF

PETER CHANDLER

IDIOCERUS STIGMATICALIS LEWIS AND METIDIOCERUS ELEGANS (FLOR) (HOMOPTERA: AUCHENORRHYNCHA), LEAFHOPPERS NEW TO IRELAND

While collating the published accounts of Auchenorrhyncha from Ireland into a preliminary check list of Irish species (de Courcy Williams, M Bull. Ir. biogeog. Soc. No. 11 in press), two

species previously unrecorded from Ireland have come to light. Details concerning the species are

given below. UTM grid references (to the 50km grid square), calculated from the program given in Rasmont, P. etal. (1986 Ir. Nat. J. 22:45-50), follow the Irish grid references for each species record,

Specimens of/, stigmaticalis have been deposited in the National Museum of Ireland. The specimen of M. elegans has been retained in my personal collection.

FAMILY CICADELLIDAE

Idiocerus stigmaticalis Lewis, 1834

Co Kiidare: Newbridge, N7715 (PU.l), 31 August 1978, $ on Salix in fen meadow. Co Wicklow: Avondale, T1985 (PU.3), 24 August 1978, $; Knocksink Wood, 02117 (PU.3) 10 October 1977, 1 August 1978, 26 September 1978, C?C? $9

In Knocksink Wood this species was found to be abundant on Salix trees, of undetermined

species, boardering a road running through a mixed deciduous woodland on calcareous drift. The trees

have subsequently been removed for road widening and car parking facilities. However the species

has been recorded from elsewhere in Ireland and it may be widely distributed here. /. stigmaticalis has

been recorded from various species of Salix including alba, fragilis, caprea 'dndpentanda (LeQuesne,

W, J. 1965 Handbk Ident. Br. Insects 2(2a): 1-64, Ossiannilisson, F. 1981 Fauna ent. Scand. 7(3):

594-979). The species has a wide distribution and is common over most of Europe. It is also found in

N Africa and the Nearctic. Adults occur from mid summer onwards (July-October). Of the species

belonging to the complex of genera closely related to Idiocerus, L stigmaticalis is one of the most

characteristic species in that the male bears distinct tubercles along the costal margin of the fore wing.

Metidiocerus elegans (Flor, 1861) Co Dublin: Bull Island, 02538 (PV.4), 29 August 1978, C?, on Salix in dune slack.

Ossiannilisson (F., 1981 Fauna ent. Scand. 7: 318) erected the genus Metidiocerus for the

species crassipes and elegans, which have previously been placed in the genus Idiocerus. He also

suggested that the species impressifrons Kirsehbaum and rutilans Kirschbaum belonged to the same

genus. M. elegans is widely distributed in central Europe, is known from N. America and has been

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.147 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:31:38 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions