Wm. T. M. Forbes.
The Lepidoptera of the Dry Tortugas.
Psyche 48(4):147-148, 1941.

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Lepidoptera of the Dry Tortugas
THELEPIDOPTERAOFTHEDRYTORTUGAS
BY WM. T. M. FORBES
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
The Dry Tortugas occupy an unique space in the geo- graphy of the United States, being the only "Oceanic" Islands in the Gulf of Mexico. In a sense they would belong to the Florida Keys, being a continuation of the same forma- tion, but they lie so far beyond K,ey West (75 miles) that casual immigration would be limited to the stronger flyers ; moreover, they are so low that they most probably have been completely under water since the last glacial period. Presumably the whole fauna has come in by sporadic acci- dents during the last few thousand years. Naturally most of the species of the list are wide-spread, being found both on the Mainland and in Cuba, but the Litoprosopus may pos- sibly be endemic,-in any case it is more like the Bahaman L. baharnensis Hmps. than the Florida L. futiUs. I owe the material to the kindness of Prof. H. H. Plough of Amherst College, who collected it in the summer of 1936. I have not noted any other records of Lepidoptera from the Islands.
LIST
Pieris mnuste. Both phases of the female were taken, but not extreme.
Nathalis idle. Garden Key.
Thecla columella. Apparently the commonest butterfly to judge by the number taken by sweeping.
Plebeius filenus (hanno). This is the filenus of Bates' "Butterflies of Cuba" and the hanno of most U. S. collectors. Holland figures something else (which I do not know) as filenus from Florida. In any case the Tortugas specimens are like those from the Antilles and the commoner form from Florida.
P. amrnon. A single specimen.




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Psyche
[December
Lerodea eufala.
Prenes panoquinoides.
Herse cingulata.
Syntomeida epilais.
Larva on oleander. I have no records
of this species for the Antilles, though it ranges south to Honduras on the Mainland. These specimens are like ours from Florida.
Peridroma margaritosa.
Mods latipes.
Anticarsia gemmatilis. These three Noctuids are typical wanderers, with tremendous ranges.
Litoprosopus bahamensis Hampson. A single specimen, damaged by ants, is indistinguishable from bahamensis ; but is decidedly colder brown, and with a much paler hind wing than true L. futilis from Florida. The large Texas species that passes for futilis appears to be undescribed, and matches this specimen much more closely in color. New to the U. S.
Synchlora aerata.
Two specimens seem definitely to be
this and not the common Antillean S. frondaria. Cosymbia myrtaria form triseriata Prout. This species is discussed by Prout in the Macrolepidoptera of the World, viii, 96
(pi. 12, fig. d6) but is not distinguished in Mc- Dunnough's Checklist, where "myrtaria" includes this, the more familiar northern packardi Prt. and the endemic ben- jamini Prt. from Florida. The single female is damaged, but I think is this, which Prout reports from both Florida and San Domingo.
Campt ograrnma stellata.
Microgonia peosinata Guenee. One female, which is surely this.
It also occurs in Florida, though it is not in our lists.
Hymenia perspectalis.
Ercta vittata Fabricius. New to the U. S. I found it abundant in Porto Rico.
Sameodes cambogialis Guenee (citrinalis Moschler) . New to the U. S. S. citrinalis Hmps. is a distinct species. Pyrausta tyralis.
Trichoptilus def ectalis.
Undetermined micros. represent the Crambinae, Phyci- tinae, Phaloniidae and Blastobasidae.




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