Abstract
THE HYMENOPTERA OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.—In the Proceedings of the Literary and Scientific Society of Manchester (vol. xxv. pp. 123-183) is a valuable contribution on the Hymenopterous insect-fauna of the Hawaiian Islands, bythe Rev. T. Blackburn, B.A., who resided there for many years, with a short introduction and annotations by Mr. P. Cameron. Eighty-four species are catalogued or described, but Mr. Black burn says he has taken over 100. The greater part of the species appear to be strictly autochthonous. Of the Anthophila (or bees) there are 14 species (excluding the introduced honey bee), and it is curious that 10 of these belong to I genus—Prosopis. Of the Fossores there are 35 species, and here again there is a paucity of genera, for 19 are included in Odynerus and II in Crabro. Of Heterogyna (ants) are only io species; and about 25 species of the various parasitic and hyper-parasitic groups. No indication of any of the phytophagous forms occurs in the paper. Before Mr. Blackburn went to the Hawaiian Islands the insectfauna was almost unknown, so far as what may be termed the more occult (and therefore the chief) portion of it. Most of what had hitherto been discovered resulted from the casual visits of entomologists (not always trained to the subject). In Coleoptera alone he discovered about 430 species, of which nearly four-fifths appear to be strictly endemic, which is certainly noteworthy in considering the fauna of an insular group of volcanic origin. The minority of more recent “introductions” look largely in the direction of Western North America, with a sprinkling of Polynesian or Australian forms. The Rev. Mr. Blackburn's Hawaiian discoveries in entomology have an important bearing on the selection of naturalists to accompany exploring and other expeditions. A trained observer knows where and how to look, even if in doubt as to what he may find, and is always rewarded by new discoveries. An untrained hand scampers over the country, and, with every desire to distinguish himself, comes back and complains of the barrenness of the land.
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Biological Notes . Nature 34, 16–17 (1886). https://doi.org/10.1038/034016c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/034016c0