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Insects of the Cayman Islands

January 1994

In book: The Cayman Islands (pp.333-356)

Authors:

The University of Manchester

Outnumbering all other species of organisms by at least six to one, insects in their abundance and diversity are unsurpassed. To compress an account of the entomofauna of even a relatively small area such as the Cayman Islands into the space of a single chapter requires considerable selectivity. After outlining the history of entomology in the islands, the butterfly fauna will be considered in some depth as our knowledge of this group exceeds that of any other. This will be followed by a systematic review of the status, so far as is known, of the insect orders.

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17. Insects of the Cayman Islands

R.R. ASKEW

Outnumbering all other species of organisms by

at least six to one, insects in their abundance

and diversity are unsurpassed. To compress an

account of the entomofauna of even a relatively

small area such as the Cayman Islands into the

space of a single chapter requires considerable

selectivity. After outlining the history of ento-

mology in the islands, the butterfly fauna will be

considered in some depth as our knowledge of

this group exceeds that of any other. This will be

followed by a systematic review of the status, so

far as is known, of the insect orders.

Entomological studies

The foundations of our knowledge of Cayman

insects were laid by C.B. Lewis and G.H. Thomp-

son, participants in an Oxford University Biologi-

cal Expedition in April to August 1938. This ex-

pedition visited all three islands, but spent the

greater part of the period in Grand Cayman, and

the findings with respect to different groups of

insects are published in a number of papers which

are referred to below. In 1975 a Royal Society-

Cayman Islands Government Expedition spent

some six weeks in July and August in Little Cay-

man and a few days on the other islands. The

author participated in this expedition, and made

further studies of the insects of Grand Cayman

during a four-week visit in 1985. Other entomol-

ogists have individually visited the islands from

time to time, mostly for brief periods, and person-

nel of the Mosquito Research and Control Unit

and Natural Resources Study in George Town

have added much to our knowledge of insects, in

addition to undertaking intensive investigations

of the islands' mosquitoes.

Butterflies of the Cayman Islands

Butterflies, diurnally active and conspicuous, are

the best known and most easily surveyed group

of insects, and because our data on Caymanian

species is extensive and interesting, a dispro-

portionately large section of this chapter is de-

voted to them. The first comprehensive study was

made by the 1938 Oxford University Expedition

and reported upon by Carpenter & Lewis (1943)

who record 39 species and subspecies. This total

has now risen to 48 taxa, including 46 different

species, of which 42 species have been recorded

from Grand Cayman, 22 from Cayman Brac and

24 from Little Cayman (Table 17.1).

Omitted from the list are the swallowtail Papi-

lio (Heraclides) machaonides Esper and the skip-

per Nyctelius nyctelius (Latreille). The swallow-

tail is mentioned and flgured (D'Abrera 1981) as

being 'taken on Grand Cayman during the Ox-

ford University Expedition of 1938 and represents

a new record'. It is not referred to by Carpenter

& Lewis (1943) in their account of the flndings of

this expedition, and as it could hardly be confused

with any other swallowtail on the island, I prefer

to set the record aside pending further infor-

mation. Schwartz et al. (1987) follow a similar

course. The skipper, N. nyctelius, is tabulated by

Riley (1975) as occurring in the Cayman Islands

but no other published record could be traced;

no specimens of Caymanian provenance could be

found in the British Museum (Natural History)

collections.

333

M.A. Brunt and J.E. Davies (eds.) The Ca1'man Islands: Natural Historl'and Biogeographt,,333-356.

€) 1994 Khsver Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.

334

Table 1-7.L. Species list of butterflies as recorded by the Oxford University Expedition 1938, the Royal Society-Cayman Islands

Government Expedition 1975 and in 1985 (Grand Cayman only). Relative abundances are indicated as follows: 0: not recorded,

1: rare, 2:local,3: common, 4: abundant and widespread. Distributions of taxa in the west Caribbean are shown by B

(Bahamas), C (Cuba), H (Hispaniola), J (Jamaica) and P (Puerto Rico). Asterisks signify observations by Mr Simon Conyers

(MRCU)

Cayman West Caribbean

distributionGrand Cayman Brac Little

Cayman

1938 1975 1985 1938 1975 1938 1975

Danaidae

Danaus plerippus (Linnaeus) 2

D. gilippus berenice Cramer 4

D. ere.yimus lethys Forbes 1

Nymphalidae

Anaea echemus daneliana Witt 3

A. troglodyta cubana Druce 0

Jtrnonia genoteva (Cramer) 3

J. evarete (Cramer) 3

Cvnrhia crzrdui (Linnaeus) 0

Anartia jatrophe guantanamo Munroe 1

Siproeta stelenes insularis Holland I

Plryciodes pftaon (Edwards) 1

Euptoieta hegesia (.Cramer) 3

Heliconiidae

Dione vanillae insularis Maynard 4

Dryas iulia (Fabricius) 2

Heliconitrs charitonius ramsdeni Comstock & Brown 3

Lycaenidae

Strymon martialis (Herrich-Schaeffer) 0

S. acis gossei Comstock & Huntington 3

S. acis casasi Comstock & Huntington 0

S. columella clblra Hewitson 3

Electrostrj-mon angella (Hewitson) 0

Hemictrgus amnon erembis Nabokov 4

H. hanno Jilenus Poey 4

Leptotes cassitts theonus (Lucas) 3

Brephidium exilis thompsoni Carpenter & Lewis 2

Pieridae

Ascia montrste evonima Boisduval 4

Appias drttsilla poeyi Biller 0

Eurema daira (Godart) 0

E. elathea (Cramer) 3

E. lisa ettterpe Mdn6tri6s 4

E. messalina (Fabricius) 2

E. nicippe (Cramer) 2

Nathalis iole Boisduval 0

Anteos maerula (Fabricius) 0

Phoebis agarithe (Boisduval) 0

P. sennae (Linnaeus) 3

Aphrissa statira cubana d'Almeida 1

Papilionidae

Battus polydamas cubensis du Frane 2

Papilio aristodemus temenes Godart 0

P. andraemon andraemon Huebner 0

P. andraemon taylorl Rothschild & Jordan 3

Hesperiidae

Phctcides pigmalion batabano Lucas 0

Urbantrs proteus domingo Scudder 3

U. dorantes santiago Ltcas 0

Cymaenes tripunctus (Herrich-Schaeffer) 3

Hylephila phylaeus (Drury) 3

Calpodes etlzllzrs (Stoll) 0

Panoqttina panoqtrinoides (Skinner) 3

P. s.vlvicola (Herrich-Schaeffer) 3

BC J

BCHJ

Endemic

BCHJP

Endemic

BCHJP

CHJ

Endemic

CHJP

BCHJP

BCHJ

BCHJP

CHJP

BCHJP

CHJP

BCHJP

BCHJ

CHJP

BCHJP

CHJP

Endemic

)

-7

Also not listed in Table 17.1 are species whose

presence has recently been brought to my notice

by Dr. E.J. Gerberg:

Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus) (Nymphali-

dae), a male collected by Gerberg, 30 December

1975 at Boatswain Point, Grand Cayman.

Kricogonia sp. probably lyside (Godart), a

mass migration in company with other pierids

flying northwest off the Cayman Islands in 1891

is referred to by Brown & Heineman (1972).

Carpenter & Lewis (1943) report the spasmodic

occurrence of an unidentlfied Kricogonia it Cay-

man Brac.

Panoquina ocola (Edwards) (Hesperiidae), a

specimen of what appears to be this species taken

20 February 1977 al Boatswain Point, Grand Cay-

man (Gerberg).

Pyrgus oileus (Linnaeus) (Hesperiidae), an old

Iiterature record (Gerberg, pers. comm.).

The following additional island records were

made in November and December 1985

(Schwartz et al. 1987). They involve no additional

species and have not been incorporated in Table

l: Eurema dairafrom Grand Cayman, E. elathea,

Phoebis agarithe, Hemiargus hanno filenus (as F1.

ceraunus filenus) and Strymon columella cybira

from Cayman Brac, Strymon martialis from

Grand Cayman.

Since preparing this chapter, Miller & Stein-

hauser (1992) have published an account of but-

terfly observations made between 30 October and

7 November 1990 in Grand Cayman and Cayman

Brac. Their more significant records are as fol-

lows:

Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus): Grand Cayman,

one female of the migratory North American

form.

Dryas iulia (Fabricius): Caymanian insects are

attributed to a new subspecies, D. i. zoe Miller

& Steinhauser, which shows marked seasonal va-

riation and is, perhaps, closest to D. i. nudeola

(Bates) from Cuba. Reported for the flrst time

from Cayman Brac.

Eumaeus atala (Poey): A very distinctive lyca-

enid which is new to the islands. A large colony

was discovered in Cayman Brac. Elsewhere it is

found in Cuba, Isle of Pines and the Bahamas,

with a separate subspecies in Florida.

Strymon acis gossei (Comstock & Huntington):

Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. Hitherto, Cay-

335

man Brac material has been assigned to S. a.

casasi (Comstock & Huntington).

Hemiargus hanno filenu^s Poey and Eurema ela-

thea (Cramer): Occurrence in Cayman Brac

(Schwartz et al. 1987) confirmed.

Strymon martialis (Herrich-Schaeffer) and Eu-

rema daira (Godart): Occurrence in Grand Cay-

man (Schwafiz et al. 1987) confirmed.

Eurema nise (Cramer): Another new record

for the islands, a single male being taken on Cay-

man Brac. Elsewhere this species is found in Ja-

maica and Cuba.

Norcs on some species

Anaea troglodyta (Fabricius). Found first in Sep-

tember 1983 by Gerberg and later by the author,

in 1985 (Grand Cayman: Boatswain Point, Bota-

bano and Mount Pleasant), and by Schwartz et

al. (1987). Specimens are assigned to subspecies

cubana, although they differ from Cuban material

in being a brighter red without a purplish flush,

and in not having the apical half of the hind wing

upperside so contrastingly pale. Several speci-

mens were observed in 1985, the fresh appear-

ance of some strongly indicating that the species is

breeding. It is considered to be a recent colonist,

unlikely to have been overlooked in previous sur-

veys.

Junonia evarete and,I. genoveva. Previously tre-

ated as forms of one species (Askew 1980c) but

here considered, following Turner & Parnell

(1985), to be specifically distinct. I. genoveva (:

zonalis Felder & Felder) is dominant in dry

places in the Lesser Caymans and associated with

Stachytarpheta jamaicensls, whereas the larval

food plant of J. evarete is Avicennia germinans.

l. evarete alone occurs, in very large numbers,

along the dyke roads through the mangrove

swamps of Grand Cayman, but both species are

found in more inland localities.

Dryas iulia. A very variable species, Cayman in-

sects having the dark forewing marks in the cell

and on vein 4 separate, as in the Cuban form

cillene Cramer, or connected as in form carteri

Riley from the Bahamas.

336

Electrostrymon angelia. A single male was col-

lected on 13 August 1985 from bushes bordering

the George Town sports ground, and a second

was recorded from Grand Cayman late in 1985

by Schwartz et al. (1987).

Brephidium exllls (Boisduval). The endemic sub-

species thompsoni of this species was described

from specimens collected in 1938 from a very

localised colony to the east of North Sound. It

was rediscovered in November 1985 by Conyers

(pers. comm.) who found it associated with Sal-

icornia virgiruica growing on the sides of a dyke

in the Barkers area east of West Bay, and later in

open grassland with Salicornia south of Hutland.

Phoebis agarithe. Common throughout August

1985 in George Town and elsewhere in the west

of Grand Cayman. Carpenter & Lewis (L943)

state that it 'has been authoritatively reported

from Grand Cayman'but'was definitely not seen'

in 1938. The present population has almost cer-

tainly become established after 1975. Gerberg

(pers. comm.) took a specimen in September

1983 and it is reported by Schwartz et al. (1987).

Aphrissa statira (Cramer). Recorded by Car-

penter & Lewis (1943) as Phoebis neleis (Boisd:u-

val & Leconte), a single, fresh male being taken

in 1938. This specimen is in the British Museum

(Natural History), standing under ,4. statira, a

species very closely allied to neleis.

Anteos maerula. New record for the Cayman Is-

lands. One male captured on 21 August 1985 just

south of Botabano.

Nathalis iale. New record for Grand Cayman. A

solitary specimen was found in the Great Beach

area on 22 Augrtst 1985 in a mesophytic habitat

somewhat resembling the loc4lity in Little Cay-

man which provided the only other Caymanian

record (Askew 1980c).

Urbanus dorantes (Stoll). One fresh male cap-

tured on 17 August 1985 on a dyke road north of

South Sound. Gerberg (pers. comm.) collected

one on 28 December 1975 and reports its finding

by J. Clarke in February 1987. Schwartz et al.

(1987) found ten specimens at three widely sepa-

rated localities in Grand Cayman (Boatswain

Bay, Cayman Kai, Old Man Bay) late in 1985.

Origins of the butterfly fauna

Of the taxa listed in Table 17.1., only four sub-

species are endemic to the Cayman Islands and

each of these has closely allied subspecies in

Cuba. The islands are insufficiently isolated to

have provided circumstances necessary for the

evolution of full species. Butterflies are highly

mobile insects and the 200 km separating Cayman

Brac from Cuba (and Jamaica) have not pre-

vented frequent immigration to the islands, un-

doubtedly assisted by the often very strong pre-

vailing easterly to north-easterly winds. That the

Cayman butterfly fauna is derived predominantly

from Cuba, a conclusion also reached by Clench

(1964) and Scott (1972), is illustrated by the fact

that 42 of the 48 taxa are found also in Cuba

but only 29 are shared with Jamaica, 24 with

Hispaniola, 22 with the Bahamas and 20 with

Puerto Rico. Ten taxa are known only from Cuba

and the Caymans, two only from Jamaica and the

Caymans (Table 17.1).

Despite the low level of endemism and the

relative proximity of the three islands, the but-

terfly fauna of each of the Cayman Islands has

developed individual characteristics. Phyciodes

phaon, and to a lesser degree Dryas iulia and

Panoquina sylvicola, are plentiful in Grand Cay-

man but apparently absent from the Lesser Cay-

mans, whilst Anartia jatrophe is abundant in

Grand Cayman but rare in Cayman Brac and

not reported from Little Cayman. Conversely,

Euptoieta hegesia is common only in Little Cay-

man, and Papilio aristodemus and Phocides pig-

malion appear to be restricted to that island. Pap-

ilio andraemon and Strymon acis are each

represented by different subspecies in Grand

Cayman and the Lesser Caymans.

Species area relationships

A larger island, because it would be expected to

encompass greater environmental heterogeneity

and provide more ecological niches, should sup-

port more species than a smaller island in the

same region and with generally similar climate.

This species area relationship has been shown to

apply well to Caribbean butterflies with an almost

rectilinear correlation, in a log-log plot, between

the number of species in an island and the island's

area. Scott (1972) obtained a correlation coef-

ficient of 0.97 for all Caribbean islands (but com-

bining data for some of the smaller island groups

including the Caymans). Askew (1980c) found a

0.98 correlation for the Cayman Islands (again

treated as a unit), Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and

Puerto Rico. Considering the three Cayman Is-

lands separately with these latter four islands plus

the Isle of Pines and Mona Island produces a

correlation of nearly 0.99 (Fig. 17.1). Of the Cay-

mans, the Brac has rather too few species for its

size (and altitudinal range) but its fauna is cer-

tainly under-recorded, (Note: Schwartz et al.

(1987) have recently added four species to the

Brac fauna to bring the total to 26 species for the

island).

The number of species in an island is described

by the equation S : CAz where S is the number

of species and A is the island area, C and z being

constants. The parameter z is a measure of the

slope of the species area curve. Preston (1962)

predicts that z values should approximate to 0.262

and MacArthur & Wilson (1967) show z values

for a variety of taxonomic groups on archipelagos

to be relatively constant, most falling within the

range 0.20 to 0.35. Highest z values will be gen-

erated when increasing area encompasses high

environmental heterogeneity. Lower z values,

mainly between 0.12 and 0.77, are obtained for

non-isolated sample areas, such as areas of differ-

ent size within a continent, because in this situ-

ation small areas may be invaded by transitory,

non-resident species which will reduce the steep-

ness of the species area curve. There can be no

such 'flooding' effect in an isolated island.

The numbers of species of butterflies in the

islands considered in the construction of the pre-

sent species area curve (Fig. 17.1) are described

by S: 9.393 x (area of island in sq. km)'2sa

Scott (7912) obtained the expression S:

11.87 x (area in sq. miles)'2st in his more exten-

sive survey of the Caribbean butterfly fauna.

These two z values are very close to and not very

different from Preston's theoretical value. They

are comparatively low for island biotas and may

reflect the relative ease with which butterfly spe-

cies can move from island to island and the wide-

337

spread occurrence of habitats conducive to their

establishment.

The equilibrium theory of island biogeography

(MacArthur & Wilson 1967) focussed attention

on species area relationships, but Gilbert (1984)

points out that it was Eugene Munroe, working

on Caribbean butterflies. who in 1948 established

the basic tenets of the theory. The existence of

a highly signiflcant, positive correlation between

island area and species number indicates that the

number of species in an island is determined pre-

dominantly by island size, and this number is an

equilibrium value, the result of a balance between

rates of immigration of new species and extinction

of existing species. When immigration rate is re-

duced or extinction rate increased, the island

fauna will equilibrate with fewer species. These

rates are affected by island size, a small island

having a high rate of extinction (populations small

and vulnerable), and by proximity to the source

of colonisation, a remote island having a low rate

of immigration.

Faunal change

An island fauna, developed by balancing rates of

species immigration and extinction, must be of

dynamic composition. Evidence of qualitative

faunal changes can be found in the data on the

butterflies of Grand Cayman (Table 17.1). In

1985, of the 32 species recorded in Grand Cay-

man, no fewer than seven are new records for

the island and six of these are new to the Cayman

Islands. Nevertheless, 33 species were recorded

by the 1938 Oxford University Expedition. The

conclusion that the fauna is dynamic is inescap-

able (Askew 1988). Whilst it cannot be said with

certainty that species not found in 1985 are now

extinct in Grand Cayman, nor that all of the spe-

cies recorded then are now resident, the indi-

cations are that Battus polydamas, Strymon acis,

Eurema messalina, E. nicippe, Leptotes' cassius,

Danaus plexippus and Panoquina panoquinoides

may be extinct (the first three not recorded since

1938, the other four not since 7975), and that,

since 1975, at least Phoebis agarithe, Eurema

daira, Electrostrymon angelia, Strymon martialis,

Anaea troglodyta and Urbanus dorantes have be-

come flrmly established in the fauna. This repre-

sents a twenty percent change in the butterfly

338

o cut

Jamaica Hispaniola

Puerto Bico

lsle of Pines

Grand Cayman

Little Cayman

254x + 9.393

9885

o Mona ls.

Cayman Brac

10 1oz 103

Area (square kilometres)

104 105

Figure 17.L. Species area relationship of butterflies and west Caribbean islands, shown on a log log plot. Data for islands other

than the Caymans are from Riley (1975), Scott (1972) and Brown and Heineman (1972).

200

100

zv=0.

r=0.

fauna in half a century (Askew 1988). The term

immigration is used here as a synonym for estab-

lishment of new species. It is clear that, in a given

period, more species will reach an island than are

able to gain a foothold in it. Unsuccessful colon-

ists will range from vagrant individuals to species

that are able to breed for just a few generations.

Such species may be recorded in Table 17.L as a

single '1'.

Distribution and abundance

Several counts of butterfly sightings were made

for known durations whilst walking in each of

various habitats in Grand Cayman in 1985. Simi-

lar counts were conducted in Little Cayman dur-

ing 1975 (see Askew 1980c for further details).

The results (Table 17.2) are influenced by many

uncontrolled variables, but the method, although

lacking in precision, provides an adequate general

pattem of relative butterfly abundance and distri-

bution.

Many species have a broad distribution, occur-

ring across a range of the habitats considered in

Table 17.2, but if wooded habitats (mangroves

and woodland on ironshore and bluff) are com-

pared with the remaining more open situations,

the following categories are apparent:

o Woodland butterflies

Anaea, Heliconius, Appias, Papilio

o Butterflies of open situations

lunonin, Anartia, Phyciodes, Hemiargus

o Butterflies well-represented in both habitats

Dione, Ascia

Numbers of sightings per minute show man-

grove swamps to have very few butterflies and

only Phocides pigmalion in Little Cayman is

characteristic of this habitat. Coccoloba wood-

land and stands of Casuarina are virtually devoid

of butterflies. It is the diverse woodland and scrub

growing on both ironshore and bluff which ac-

commodate most woodland butterflies, sightings

per minute ranging between 0.8 and 1.4 in both

Little Cayman and Grand Cayman, and species

diversity (a) varying from \.7 to 2.8. 'Samples'

with higher species diversity (3.0 and greater),

however, were recorded from all of the 'open'

situations with secondary vegetation. These com-

prised the pasture with Buttonwood (Con-

ocarpus) and Maiden Plum (Comocladia) in

339

Table L7.2. Butterfly counts in various habitats in Little Cayman (L) and Grand Cayman (G)

Habitat

Island

Time (mins)

Coastal strip Dyke roads Mangrove

103

Pasture Ironshore Bluff

woodland

143 32

woodlandG

19 178

Anaea

Junonia

Anartia

Phyciodes

Euptoieta

Dione

Dryas

Heliconius

Strymon

Hemiargus

Leptotes

Ascia

Appias

Eurema

Phoebis

Papilio

Phocides

Urbanus

Hylephila

Total sightings

Sightings/min.

Diversity (a)

1,4

2.0

3.0

3.3

J.J

0.1

0.03

1.5

-). /

219

1.2

1.9

0.8

7.7

108

0.8

1..7

1.4

2.8

Grand Cayman, the coastal strip of Little Cayman

with partially vegetated beach ridges and dis-

turbed, often burnt-over ground in derelict coco-

nut plantations, and some of the more overgrown

of the dyke roads of Grand Cayman. In addition

to having a higher species diversity than wood-

land habitats, all of these open situations have a

greater abundance of butterflies with high rates

of sightings averaging 1.5 to 3.3 per min.

Human activities can promote conditions

which a la.rge number of butterfly species are able

to exploit. These species will often be those that

depend upon those plants that colonise disturbed

ground. Such plants have a high capacity for dis-

persal and the butterflies that feed upon them are

usually similarly widespread species. The prepon-

derance of butterflies in areas of secondary veg-

etation may perhaps be correlated with the rela-

tively shallow species area curve (low z value)

discussed above, the plants of disturbed ground

contributing to environmental homogeneity over

a wide geographical area.

Diurnal activity

Daily flight activity of butterflies was studied in

1975 (Askew 1980c). Butterflies were flying from

soon after sunrise throughout the day to sunset,

and Anartia and Cymaenes were attracted to

lights at night. Temperatures probably never fall

sufficiently low to prevent flight, bpt the level of

butterfly flight activity changes through the day.

Butterfly counts were made in Little Cayman at

hourly intervals, from 6.00 h to 18.00 h, along the

same transect on three days (Fig. 17.2). Numbers

increased through the morning to a maximum at

10.00 h (Anaea, Ascia) or 11.00 h (Dione,

others). They dropped sharply at noon and rose

again to a usually smaller peak in the afternoon.

This afternoon peak occurred at 13.00 h in Dione

and Ascia, and at 16.00 h it Anaea and others.

Each species probably has a daily rhythm of flight

activity which is likely to be influenced in a com-

plex and interacting manner by temperature, light

intensity and no doubt many other factors. No

340

ilh

Anaei echemut

lllI

't0

Ait lemperatur!

Dione vanillae illl,l Ascia monuste

Otherl

--rll Ir-- _.lll hr

I I I

6 7 I 9 10 tt 't2 13 14 15 16 17 18.00h 6 7 8 I 10 1',r '12 13'14 15 16 17 t8.00h

Figure 17.2. Diurnal flight activity of butterflies on Little Cayman. See text for a fuller explanation.

simple relationship between flight activity and air

temperature could be detected. The limited data

allow only the conclusion that the pattern of high

activity in the morning and usually lower activity

in the afternoon can be modified so that above

average flight activity occurs when the tempera-

ture is above average at any particular time. Light

intensity was not measured but was highest in the

late morning before cloud cover built up. The

afternoon peak in activity may be less than the

morning peak partly because of lower light inten-

sity, and it is noteworthy that Anaea echemus, for

which morning and afternoon peaks were equal,

is a shade-loving species.

Systematic survey of insect orders

Knowledge of Cayman insects is patchy, some

groups being quite well-studied but many others

neglected. In this section the representation of

insect orders in the islands is briefly reviewed,

interesting species are commented upon and pap-

ers which feature the islands' insects are referred

to. The following orders have not been recorded

and are unlikely to be found in the Cayman Is-

lands: Plecoptera, Grylloblattodea, Embioptera,

Mecoptera and Megaloptera.

Apterygote insects

Collembola (Neanuridae, Entomobryidae, Smin-

thuridae) and Thysanura (Lepismatidae) are the

only groups of primitively wingless insects to have

been recorded (Askew 1980a), but little effort has

been made to study the Cayman Islands' fauna.

Ephemeroptera

A sub-imaginal exuviae and larva of a small spe-

cies of Baetidae were found in a rain-water pool

on the bluff of Little Cayman in 1975 (Askew

1980a).

Odonata

Dragonflies are abundant in the Cayman Islands.

The commoner species pass their larval lives in

the many ponds and lagoons of brackish water,

but some of the less frequently seen species ap-

pear to be dependant upon smaller and some-

times temporary accumulations of rain water.

Fraser (1943) and Askew (1980b) report upon the

findings of the 1938 and 1975 expeditions and

these, together with species observed in 1985 in

Grand Cayman and by Dr. P. Wagenaar Humme-

linck (determined by Dr. D.C. Geijskes) in 7973

in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, are here

embodied in the following key which it is hoped

may facilitate further study of these interesting

insects. Most couplets in the key are based on

wing characters, the majority of which are illus-

trated in Fig. 17.3.

1. Hind wings and front wings similarly shaped

(Fig. 17.3a, b). Small and slender (suborder

Zygoptera,damselflies) ......... 2

- Hind wings broader at base than front wings

(Fig. 17.3d, f). Large and robust (suborder

Anisoptera, dragonflies) ........ 5

2. Stigma more than twice as long as wide (Fig.

17.3a). Body metallic green (Lestidae)

. . . . . Lestes spumarius Selys

Grand Cayman 1938, 1985. Cayman Brac

1938. The only damselfly found by the Ox-

ford Expedition but subsequently only a sin-

gle specimen recorded.

- Stigma less than twice as long as wide (Fig.

17.3b) and body not metallic green (Coenag-

rionidae) .........3

3. Stigma in front wing of male not touching

costa (Fig. 17 .3c). Very small, abdomen only

about 17 mm long.

Anomalagrion hastatum (Say)

Grand Cayman 1975,1985. Occurring in col-

onies in rank vegetation on swampy ground

or near to shallow rain ponds.

- Stigma bordered by costa (Fig. 17.3b). Abdo-

men atleast25mmlong. ........ 4

4. Male abdomen blackish with a blue spot near

apex. . ..... Ischnura ramburiSelys

Grand Cayman 1973, 1975, 1985. The most

frequently encountered species of damselfly,

distributed widely in Grand Cayman. Usually

found near rain ponds of near-fresh water.

- Male abdomen red, long and slender.

. . . . .Leptobasis vacillans (Linnaeus)

Grand Cayman 1985. Two males found be-

side ponds of near-fresh water.

5. Triangles in front and hind wings equally dis-

tant from arculus and similarly-shaped (Fig.

17.3d) (Aeshnidae) ......6

- Triangle closer to arculus in hind wing than

341

in front wing and of different shape in the

two wings (Fig. 17.3f) (Libellulidae) .... 9

6. Veins from arculus originating in upper half,

with only one or two cross veins above tri-

angle (Fig. 17.3e). Anal margin of male hind

wing rounded. Thorax green (Anax) . . . . 7

- Veins originating centrally from arculus, with

three or more cross veins above triangle (Fig.

l1 .3d). Anal margin of male hind wing

angled (Fig. 17.3d). Thorax brownish . . . 8

7. Frons above with central, usually triangular,

dark spot between two bluish spots .

. . Anax amazili (Burmeister)

Grand Cayman 1938, 1973,1985. Little Cay-

man 7975. Several exuviae found in a pond

of almost fresh water in Grand Cayman, but

only a few adults were seen. Taken in MRCU

light traps.

- Frons above with central, circular, dark spot

bounded anteriorly by a blue semicircle

Anax junius (Drury)

Grand Cayman 1973.

8. Sides of thorax with black markings. Female

with a bifid process on abdominal segment 10

ventrally .... Gynacantha nervosa Rambur

Grand Cayman 1975. One female taken at

night in a lighted building.

- Sides of thorax without black markings. Fe-

male with a trifid process on abdominal seg-

ment 10 ventrally

, . . . . Triacanthagyna septima (Selys)

Grand Cayman 1985. Recorded only from

specimens caught by MRCU light traps.

9. 5 or 6 cross veins beneath elongated stigma

(Fig. 17.3i) . .Orthemis ferruginea (Fabricius)

Grand Cayman 1938, 1985. Cayman Brac

1938, 1985. Little Cayman1975. A large, red-

bodied dragonfly with clear wings, common

in open places on the bluff but less frequent

along mangrove dykes. It is another species

that is caught in MRCU light traps.

- 2 cross veins beneath stigma (Fig. 17.3f ) .10

10. Hind wing with 2 cubito-anal cross veins (Fig.

t7.3) (Pantala) .........11

- Hind wing with 1 cubito-anal cross vein (Fig.

t7.3f,k) .........12

11. Base of hind wing clear or yellowish-tinged

Pantala flavescens (Fabricius)

Grand Cayman 7938, 7975, 1985. Cayman

Brac 1975. Little Cayman 1938, 1975. This

342

Front and hind wings similar

trigonal space

(4 cells)

1 cubito-anal

cross vetn

lel atttax

male front wing stigma airgled

anal margin

(cl antouataontou

,. arculus: sectors

i cdntral

triangle of

front wing

triangle of

hind wing

loop

ldl ayuaceruTHA (malel

several cross veins

beneath stigma

(il oBrHEMts

(f) BRAcHYMEStA

(front and hind wings)

supplementarY vein

stigma

arculus: sectors

(a) LEsrEs

IbI ISCHNURA

triangle

(s) TRAMEA

anal

2 bridge cross

(hl utcaarHyBta

Cu1 arising from

outer side of triangle

subtending 2 rows of cells

(in partl

(l) LEPTHEMts

5 paranal

cells before

su btriangle

2 paranal

cells before

anal looP

cross

3 paranal

cells before

anal loop ,

2 cubito-anal

(j) PANrA LA lkl ERYTHRoDtPLAx NAEVA

Figure 17.3. Principal venational characters of Cayman Odonata

btriangle

2veins

beneath stigma

1 bridge cross vein

space

cells)

Ll=

vet n

radial supPlementarY '

subtending 1 cell row

anal loop

-=-l

Iarge, yellowish dragonfly has a remarkably

broad world distribution encompassing North

and South America, Asia, Africa, the Orien-

tal region and Australasia. It is abundant in

the Cayman Islands, often seen in large

swarms hawking for mosquitoes and other

flying insects at a height of two to five metres

over mangrove dykes or wasteland.

- Base of hind wing with elongated, brown

spot .. ......Pantala hymenea (Say)

Grand Cayman 1938, 1985. Little Cayman

1938. An American species, much less com-

mon than its congener in swarms of which a

few individuals could sometimes be detected

flying over dyke roads in Grand Cayman.

One attracted to an electric light at night.

12. Hind wing with 2 paranal cells before the

anal loop (Fig. 17.3f ) (Brachymesia) . . . .13

- Hind wing with 3 paranal cells before the

analloop(Fig. 17.3j) .....1.4

13, Radial supplementary vein subtends a partly

double row of cells (Fig. 17.31) .... . . . Bra-

chymesia (: Cannacria) herbida (Gundlach)

Cayman Brac 1973. Reportedly found by

Hummelinck at two wells on Lonely Hill,

Spot Bay.

- Radial supplementary vein subtends a single

row of cells (Fig. 17.3t) .

B r achy me s ia fur cata (Hagen)

Grand Cayman 1938, 1973, 1985. Cayman

Brac 1938. Little Cayman 1938, 1975. Me-

dium-sized dragonflies with a rather short,

stout abdomen which, in the males, is bright

red. The hind wings have a large, basal yel-

low mark. Common by ponds of relatively

low salinity, males perching for long periods

on twigs in the water.

14. 2bridge cross veins (Fig. 17.3h)

. . Micrathyria didyma (Selys)

Grand Cayman 1938, 1985. A rather small,

brown and green dragonfly with clear wings.

There is a conspicuous whitish spot on the

seventh segment of the slender abdomen.

Males develop pruinosity. Not common and

seen only near small accumulations of rain

water, males perching frequently on protrud-

ing twigs.

- 1 bridge cross vein (Fig. 17.3f) .........15

15. Trigonal space of front wing with 4 rows of

cells (Fig. 17.39). Hind wing with elongated,

343

brownbasalmark (Tramea) .....16

- Trigonal space of front wing with 3 rows of

cells (Fig. 17.3f ). Hind wing sometimes with-

out a brown basalmark .........77

16. Thorax with 2 lateral yellow stripes, often

obscure. Venation reddish

. Tramea calverti Muttkowski

Grand Cayman 1938, 1985, (also 1963, C. R.

Warren, in Marmels and Rdcenis 1982).

Little Cayman I975. Often seen hawking with

Pantala at a height of two to five metres,

frequently along mangrove dykes, and sel-

dom alighting. Marmels and R6cenis (1982)

are followed in identifying Cayman Tramea

as calverti (: cophysa Hagen).

- Thorax without yellow stripes laterally. Ve-

nation predominantly black

. . . . . Tramea abdominalr (Rambur)

Tramea are large, reddish dragonflies with

conspicuous dark markings at the bases of

the hind wings. The two species mentioned

above are difficult to distinguish, and proba-

bly only calverti is a Cayman species.

17. Front wing with 6 paranal cells before subtr-

iangle. Abdomen slender after deep, laterally

compressed basal segments .... . . . .. . . .18

- Front wing with 5 paranal cells before sub-

triangle (Fig. 17.3f). Abdomen differently

shaped (Erythrodiplax) ... ......20

18. Radial supplementary vein subtends 2 rows

of cells (Fig. 17.31)

. . . . Lepthemis vesiculosa (Fabricius)

Grand Cayman t938, 7975, 1985. A quite

large, green and black dragonfly with clear

wings. Common both along mangrove dykes

and near ponds on bluff limestone. Flies very

low, seldom over open water, and perches

only briefly.

- Radial supplementary vein subtends L row of

cells (Fig. 77.3f) (Erythemis) . . . .19

19. Body green marked with brown (female) or

covered by bluish pruinosity (mature male).

Wings clear . .. .Erythemis simplicollis (Say)

Grand Cayman 1985. A few only seen by

ponds and ditches on bluff limestone.

- Body blackish, sometimes marked with yel-

low. Wings with dark brown (male) to yel-

lowish (young female) basal marks which ex-

tend to about the cubito-anal cross vein

. . . . .Erythemis plebeja (Burmeister)

344

Grand Cayman 1938, 1985. Males are almost

entirely black with only the anal appendages

whitish. A few seen at a roadside ditch in

woodland south of George Town.

20. Radial supplementary vein subtends 2 rows

of cells, at least medially (Fig. 17.31). Vulvar

scale of female (projecting below apex of ab-

dominal segment 8) very short, much less

than half the length of segment 9. Wings of

mature male, and sometimes female, with

dark medial bands .

Erythrodiplax umbratq (Linnaeus)

Grand Cayman 1938, 1975, 1985. Cayman

Brac 1938, 1975. Little Cayman 1938, 1975.

A medium-sized dragonfly (the other .Er-

ythrodiplax species are small) showing great

variation in the intensity of the medial, dark

wing bands. Abundant in Grand Cayman

with territorial males present at most shallow

accumulations of water, although seldom

seen in mangroves. Females are found mostly

amongst rough herbage away from water,

and they are sometimes attracted to light.

- Radial supplementary vein subtends L row of

cells (Fig. 17.3t). Vulvar scale of female at

least half as long as abdominal segment 9.

Wingswithoutmedialbands . ....21

21. Yein Cu 1 of hind wing arises from outer

side of triangle (Fig. 17.3k). Vulvar scale of

female very long, longer than abdominal seg-

ment 9 Erythrodiplax naeva (Hagen)

Grand Cayman 1938, 1975, 1985. Cayman

Brac 1938, 1973, 1975, 1985. Little Cayman

1938, 1975. This small dragonfly swarms

everywhere in the islands, including man-

grove swamps. Females are sometimes at-

tracted to light.

- Vein Cu L of hind wing arises from, or very

close to, the apex of the triangle (Fig. 17.3f).

Vulvar scale of female shorter than abdomi-

nalsegment9.... .......22

22. Hind wing with basal coloured area extending

at most to the proximal edge of the triangle.

Vulvar scale of female more than half as long

as abdominal segment 9. Caudal appendages

dark . . . Erythrodiplax connata (Burmeister)

?Little Cayman 1938. Insects seen but not

captured by the 1938 expedition flying over

Zostera beds inside the fringing reef may

have been this species.

- Hind wing with basal yellow or brown area

usually reaching the apex of the triangle and

often extending beyond. Vulvar scale of fe-

male about half as long as abdominal segment

9. Caudal appendages whitish

. . . .Erythrodiplax fervida (Erichson)

Grand Cayman 1975, 1985. Apparently rare

and seen in the field only at a roadside ditch

in woodland south of George Town. One fe-

male taken in an MRCU light trap. Males

have a largely red abdomen and females are

yellow and black, both sexes having strongly

coloured, amber to brown, hind wing bases.

Dictyoptera

Six species of cockroach (Blattidae) were found

in Little Cayman in 7975 (Askew 1980a) and the

group is well-represented in all of the islands.

Some species are synanthropic, found inside

buildings, but most occur outdoors in plant debris

on the ground. Mantidae have not yet been re-

ported from the Lesser Caymans, but at least

three species occur in Grand Cayman.

Phasmida

A single specimen of a stick insect, found in Little

Cayman in 1975 (Askew 1980a), remains the only

record of this order from the islands.

Orthoptera

The fauna of grasshoppers, crickets and bush

crickets is quite rich but little studied. Grasshop-

pers (Acrididae) are represented by a large spe-

cies of Cyrtacanthacridinae, common in Little

Cayman and found also in Grand Cayman (re-

corded from the stomachs of Green Heron and

Ani by Johnston (1975)), and by a species of

Oedipodinae with red hind wings observed in

Cayman Brac (Askew 1980a). Pygmy locusts or

ground-hoppers (Tetrigidae) are known in Grand

Cayman and bush crickets or katydids (Tettigonii-

dae) are represented by a number of species (Co-

piphorinae, Conocephalinae and Phaneropteri-

nae) in all the islands. The cone-headed katydid

Neo cono cep halus carb onarius (Redtenbacher) is

known only from Cuba and Grand Cayman

(Walker and Greenfleld 1983). Crickets (Grylli-

dae) are the dominant family in the order with

Gryllinae abundant and Mogoplistinae and Oe-

canthinae present.

Dermaptera

Two species of earwig found in Little Cayman

in 1975 are the cosmopolitan Labidura riparia

(Pallas) and a speciesof Barygerax,probably esau

(Caudell) described from Guatemala. In Grand

Cayman in 1985, Euborellia caraibea Hebard was

captured in pit-fall traps (M. V. Hounsome), and

B. ?esau was taken in a Malaise trap.

Isoptera

Termites are familiar and common insects in the

Cayman Islands, but there appears to have been

no attempt to study them in detail. Unidentified

species in the families Termitidae, Kalotermitidae

and Rhinotermitidae are recorded by Askew

(1980a).

Psocoptera and Zoraptera

Psocoptera are found in all three Cayman Islands,

but this again is an order only superflcially investi-

gated. Zoraptera are obscure insects which have

not been noted in Cayman although Zorotypus

snyderi Caudell is recorded from Florida and Ja-

maica.

Phthiraptera

Birds and mammals in the Cayman Islands are as

likely to be infested with parasitic lice as they are

in most other parts of the world. The two species

of sucking lice (Anoplura) which feed on human

blood certainly occur in Grand Cayman: Pthirus

pubis (Linnaeus), the crab louse which chiefly

infests the pubic region, has been found walking

over the sand of Seven Mile Beach (M.V. Houn-

some), and Pediculus humanus Linnaeus occurs

particularly on the heads of children. Biting lice

(Mallophaga) have been observed on the plu-

mage of birds.

345

Hemiptera Heteroptera

There is a rich bug fauna with all of the major

families represented. Families of terrestrial Het-

eroptera, with numbers of species found in Little

Cayman (1975) and in Grand Cayman (1985), are

as follows:

Little Grand

Scutelleridae

Pentatomidae

Coreidae

Alydidae (Coriscidae)

Rhopalidae (Corizidae)

Pyrrhocoridae

Lygaeidae

Berytinidae (Neididae)

Saldidae

Tingidae

Reduviidae

Nabidae

Anthocoridae

Miridae

Isometopidae

These figures undoubtedly represent only a

fraction of the actual numbers of species present

in the islands, but they probably accurately reflect

the balance of family representation. The two

islands are rather similar in this respect, although

the dominance of Lygaeidae in Grand Cayman

is noteworthy. A total of seventeen species of

Lygaeidae was found by the Oxford University

expedition (Scudder 1958), thirteen species on

Grand Cayman, eight in Cayman Brac and three

in Little Cayman. Four of these lygaeids are de-

scribed as new by Scudder, three of them in the

gents Ozophora. Compared with more temper-

ate latitudes, numbers of Miridae are small. A

species of Phymatidae is recorded for Grand Cay-

man by Johnston (1975) from the stomach of a

Thick-billed Vireo.

Aquatic Heteroptera collected by the Oxford

University expedition are described by Hunger-

ford (1940) who records the following eleven spe-

cies from Grand Cayman:

o Hydrometridae, Hydrometra martini Kirkaldy.

o Gerridae, Limnogonus guerini (Lethierry &

Severin).

CaymanCayman

1,1,

346

o Veliidae, Microvelia pulchella Westwood and

Rhagovelta tenuipes Champion.

o Belostomatidae, Lethocerus collosicus Stal and

L. delpontei De Carlo. These giant waterbugs,

40 mm or more in length, are often attracted

to lights.

o Corixidae , Trichocorixa verticalis (Fieber) (also

in Little Cayman).

o Notonectidae, Notonecta indica Linnaeus,

Buenoa antigone Kirkaldy (also in Cayman

Brac), B. pallens Champion and B. elegans (Fi-

eber).

Corixids and notonectids are tolerant of the

brackish water conditions in the islands and they

can occur in enormous numbers. Trichocorixa

verticalis was so numerous in Little Cayman in

1975 that they covered the bottom of a mercury

vapour light trap to a depth of a centimetre or

so, and Hungerford (1940) reports that Buenoa

antigone was 'swarming in thousands' in Earth-

quake Hole, Cayman Brac in 1938.

Hemiptera Homoptera

A large group that comprises Sternorhyncha

(plant lice, whiteflies, aphids and scale insects)

and Auchenorhyncha (cicadas and various types

of plant hoppers). Many species of Sternorhyncha

are pests of economically important crops, dam-

aging plants directly as a result of the feeding

activity of often large populations, or indirectly

as vectors of viral diseases. Dr. F.D. Bennett, in

an unpublished report, provides a long list of

species associated with Citrus and Coconut in

Grand Cayman, 1970, and a further species is

reported by Bennett and Noyes (1989):

Citrus

Aleyrodidae Aleurocanthus wo glumi Ashby

(Citrus Blackfly)

Aleurothrixus ?

floccosus (Mas-

kell) (howardi Quaintance)

(Woolly Whitefly)

Coccus viridus Green (Green

Soft Scale)

Coccus hesperidum Linnaeus

(Brown Soft Scale)

Saissetia hemisphaerica (Tar-

gioni)

Diaspididae

Coconut

Aleyrodidae

Pseudococcidae:

Coccidae:

Diaspididae

Aphididae:

S aiss etia rulgra (Nietner)

S aiss etia o leae (Bernar d)

Ceroplastes floridensis Com-

stock

Cer o p lastes cirrip e diformis

Comstock

Chry s omp halus aonidum (Lin-

naeus) (Florida Red Scale)

Lepidosaphes gloveri (Pack-

ard) (Glover's Scale)

Lepidosaphes b ecki (Newman)

(Purple Scale)

Aonidiella ? citrina (Coquillet)

(Yellow Scale)

Selenaspidus articulatus (Mor-

gan)

Parlatoria pergandi (Com-

stock) (Chaff Scale)

Unaspis citri (Comstock) (Cit-

rus Snow Scale)

Icerya purchasi Maskell (Cot-

tony Cushion Scale)

Aphis spiraecola Patch (Green

Citrus Aphid)

Toxoptera ?aurantii (Fonscol-

ombe) (Black Citrus Aphid)

Aleuro discus disp ersus Russell

(Spiralling Whitefly), also on

Tropical Almond

Nipaecoccus nipae (Maskell)

(Coconut Mealybug)

Eucalymnatus tesselatus (Sig-

noret)

Vins onia s telliftra (Westwood)

(Glass Star Scale)

Aspidiotus destructor Signoret

(Coconut Scale)

Cerataphis lataniae (Boisduval)

The list is dominated by scale insects (Coccidae

and Diaspididae) with aphids rather poorly repre-

sented, a ratio characteristic of a tropical climate

and the converse of the situation in more temper-

ate latitudes. Psyllidae, not listed, also feature in

the island's homopteran fauna.

These sternorhynchous Homoptera are preyed

upon by a variety of predators, particularly by

chrysopid (Neuroptera) larvae, ladybirds

(Coleoptera) and larvae of syrphids (Diptera),

Coccidae:

Margarodidae:

Aphididae:

and they are also attacked by several often host-

specific parasitoids (Hymenoptera; Chal-

cidoidea). These insects are widely used in the

biological control of crop pests. Bennett (1.c.)

reports the employment of ladybirds (Coccinelli-

dae) to control Aspidiotus destructor in Grand

Cayman. The coconut scale was inadvertently in-

troduced about 1950 and was attacked by the

ladybird Chilocorus cacti and a species of Aphytis

(Aphelinidae). To supplement these natural en-

emies, the ladybirds Azya trinitatis and Cryptog-

natha nodiceps were introduced in1957 and 1958

from Trinidad and the former became estab-

lished. In 1970, shipments of these two species

were sent to Little Cayman, and another beetle,

Coccidophilus citricola, was released in Grand

Cayman.

The citrus blackfly, Aleurocanthus woglumi,

has been a pest for many years and two parasitic

chalcid wasps, Eretmocerus serius and Prospal-

tella opulenta, have been introduced in attempts

to achieve control. Heavy parasitization of

blackfly in George Town in 1970 is attributed to

P. opulenta which may have replaced E. serius.

Auchenorhyncha are more plentiful than Ster-

norhyncha, but in general they are less injurious

to crops. The Cayman fauna includes species of

Cicadidae, Membracidae, Cercopidae, Cicadelii-

dae, Cixiidae, Delphacidae, Fulgoridae, Flatidae,

Tropiduchidae and Acanaloniidae. In terms of

species numbers, Cicadellidae is probably the

largest family, followed by Delphacidae. Cercopi-

dae are rather scarce. The cicadellid Gyponana

secunda is described (Freytag and Delong 1975)

from specimens collected in Panama and Grand

Cayman.

Cicadidae, large and noisy Homoptera, can be

heard wherever there are shrubs and trees. Eggs

are laid in twigs, but the larvae drop to the ground

and lead a long, subterranean existence feeding

on roots. When fully grown, they ascend veg-

etation and the adult insect emerges, leaving the

larval exuviae attached to stems or tree trunks.

Cayman Islands cicadas have been studied by

Davis (1939). Only three allied and endemic spe-

cies are present, a different one in each island.

Diceroprocta cleavesi Davis, 1930 is the Grand

Cayman species, D. caymanensls Davis, 1939 in-

habits Little Cayman and D. ovata Davis, 1939 is

in Cayman Brac. The species are morphologically

347

very similar, differing principally in their colour-

ation, and they are allied to D. biconica Walker

from Cuba.

Thysanoptera

Only a few species of thrips were noted, none in

large numbers.

Neuroptera

Neuroptera are well-represented, green lacewings

(Chrysopidae) and ant lions (Myrmeleonidae)

often being seen, particularly about lights at

night. Larval ant lion pits may be found where

the earth is soft and friable. Banks (1941) reports

on the collection made by the 1938 Oxford Uni-

versity expedition, and Kirby and Askew (1979)

give an account of Neuroptera found in Little

Cayman in 1975. Species recorded, together with

those taken in Grand Cayman in 1985, are as

follows:

Mantispidae: Mantispa sayi Banks, Little

Cayman 1975.

Chrysopidae: Chrysopa (Suarius) collaris

Schneider (see note below),

Grand Cayman 1938, 1985,

Little Cayman 1938, 1975.

C. (Plesiochrysa) antillana

Navas, Grand Cayman 1938,

1985, Little Cayman 1975.

C. (Chrysoperla) externa

Hagen, Grand Cayman 1975,

1985, Little Cayman 1975.

C. (Ceraeochrysa) cubana

Hagen, Grand Cayman 1938,

1985.

Nodita cerverai Navas, Grand

Cayman 1938.

Ascalaphidae: Ululodes sp. near banksi van

der Weele, Cayman Brac

1938 (as senex Burmeister),

Little Cayman 1975.

Myrmeleonidae: Vella texana (Hagen), Grand

Cayman 1938, Little Cayman

1975.

Myrmeleon insertus Hagen,

Grand Cayman 1938, 1985,

348

Cayman Brac 1938, Little

Cayman 1938,1975.

Psammoleon bistictus (Ha-

gen), Grand Cayman 1938,

Little Cayman 1975.

P. reductus Banks, Cayman

Brac 1938, Little Cayman

1975.

P. minor Banks, Cayman

Brac 1938.

Coniopterygidae: Neoconis cubana (Banks),

Grand Cayman 1985.

Chrysopa (Suarius) collaris is the species iden-

tified by Banks (1941) and by Kirby and Askew

(1979) as C. transversa Walker. C. transversa is a

synonym of C. divisa Walker, a species wide-

spread in South America and also known from

Jamaica. The question of whether or not collaris

and divisa (: transversa) arc distinct species is

not flnally resolved. Both are known from South

America and the Antilles (S. Brooks, pers.

comm.).

The coniopterygid Neoconis cubana is the only

known Caymanian representative of the family.

A single male was collected in a Malaise trap,

George Town. The species was previously cer-

tainly known only from Cuba, although there is

a doubtful record from Jamaica (P.C. Barnard,

pers. comm.).

Some indication of the relative abundance of

species is provided by captures in MRCU light

traps at various stations in Grand Cayman. The

following were taken during two nights in August

1985:

Chrysopa antillana 3 specimens

C. cubana 28

C. externa 11

C. collaris 5

Myrmeleon irusertus 1

Banks (1941) concludes that most species are

'well known from various parts of the Antilles,

but more especially from Cuba'. Vella texana is

an exception, known only from Cayman and

Texas; it is the largest neuropteran in the islands

with a wing expanse of 118 mm. Psammoleon re-

ductus was described originally from specimens

collected in Cayman Brac and it is not yet known

from outside the Cayman Islands. Hemerobiidae

and Dilaridae might be expected to occur, but

have not yet been discovered.

Coleoptera

The remark by J.B.S. Haldane that the Creator

had 'an inordinate fondness for beetles' is repe-

ated here in partial justiflcation of the superficial

treatment of Coleoptera, probably the largest

order of insects in the world and certainly the

order with the largest number of described spe-

cies. In Little Cayman in 1975,1L8 species were

recognised distributed between 36 families

(Askew 1980a).

Two families of terrestrial and predominantly

carnivorous beetles, Carabidae and Staphylini-

dae, contained the largest numbers (11 and 15,

respectively) of species found in Little Cayman.

The beetle fauna of islands tends to include a

higher proportion of terrestrial carnivores than

does the fauna of the adjacent mainland (Becker

1975), possibly because carnivores are more cath-

olic than phytophagous beetles in their food re-

quirements and, in consequence, are more easily

able to establish themselves in islands with a re-

stricted flora. Contrary to the situation for most

groups of insects, the size ranges of Caymanian

Carabidae and Staphylinidae are rather small, the

result especially of an absence of large species

(Askew 1980a). It is suggested that large, car-

nivorous beetles may be excluded from the Cay-

man Islands by the abundance of land crabs with

which they may be potential competitors for food.

The importance of land crabs in the economy of

coral islands is emphasised by Borradaile (1901):

'And it is likely that their omnivorous appetite

renders them enemies of many animals . . . '.

Darlington (1947) reviews the Carabidae col-

lected by the 1938 Oxford University expedition.

31 species are recorded, all of which are fully

winged, supporting the view that the Cayman Is-

lands have been colonised mainly by flight. 26

species are shared with Cuba but only 16 with

Jamaica (14 species occur in both Cuba and Ja-

maica). One species, Callida caymanensis Dar

lington, is possibly endemic. This distribution pat-

tern parallels that of Cayman butterflies. Of 900

carabid specimens examined by Darlington, T02

were Tachys ?occultator Casey.

Staphylinidae collected in 1938 are considered

by Blackwelder (1947); 20 species are known

from the Cayman Islands. Distributions of Sta-

phylinidae are not so well known as those of

Carabidae, but at least 10 of the 20 species are

shared with Cuba, 8 with Jamaica and 5 with

both. Sunius debilicornis (Wollaston) was de-

scribed from Madeira and occurs in North and

South America, Africa, Europe, the Oriental re-

gion and Australasia. Philonthus ventralis (Grav-

enhorst) is also very widely distributed in the

New and Old Worlds. Two species, Carpelimus

sordidus Cameron, 1923 and Osorius lewisi

Blackwelder , \943 are known only from the Cay-

man Islands. Bledius mandibularis Erichson, a

widespread North American species, is very

abundant in Little Cayman. An estimated 25,000

specimens were taken in an acetylene light trap

by the Oxford University expedition between

19.30h and 21..30 h on each of two evenings in

May 1938. This species was caught in numbers in

1975 as well.

Scarabaeidae (chafers and dung beetles) was,

after Staphylinidae and Carabidae, the next most

numerous family in Little Cayman with ten spe-

cies found (Askew 1980a). The largest chafer is

over 30 mm in length, but small aphodiine dung

beetles (Ataenius beattyi Chapin, A. liogaster

Bates and 1. sp. m miamii Cartwright) are more

numerous. Phyllophaga caymanensis Sanderson,

1939 and Dyscinetus imitator Ratcliffe, 1986 are

described from Grand Cayman.

Cerambycidae (long-horned or timber beetles)

and Hydrophilidae (water scavenger beetles),

with nine species each found in Little Cayman,

are two more well-represented families and they

include the largest beetles found in the islands.

Cerambycidae collected during the Oxford

University expedition are dealt with in two papers

by Fisher (1941,1948) who described 1"4 new spe-

cies: Eburia caymanensis (Grand Cayman, Little

Cayman - type locality), E. concisispinis (Cay-

man Brac), E.lewist (Grand Cayman, Little Cay-

man - type locality), Derancistrus (Elateropsis)

nigripes (Cayman Brac), D. (E.) nigricornis

(Grand Cayman), D. (8.) caymanensis (Little

Cayman), Etaphidion lewisi (Cayman Brac), E.

thompsoni (Cayman Brac), E. truncatipenne

(Cayman Brac), Stizocera caymanensis (Grand

Cayman, Cayman Brac - type locality, Little

Cayman), Protosphaerion caymanerusls (Cayman

Brac), Leptostylus thompsoni (Grand Cayman -

type locality, Cayman Brac) and L.lewisi (Grand

Cayman, Little Cayman - type locality). The

349

largest of Fisher's species is 30 mm long, too small

to be the species measuring 52mm reported from

Cayman Brac (Askew 1980a). In 1985, eleven

species of cerambycid were found in Grand Cay-

man, one an enormous prionine over 60 mm long.

Timber beetles are readily attracted to lights. The

same is true of Hydrophilidae, Flowers and

Klenke (1976) recording Hydrophilus insularis

Lapouge collected at outdoor lights in Grand

Cayman, together with two species of Dytiscidae

(diving beetles), Megadytes gigantea Lapouge and

M. fraterna Sharp.

Coccinellidae (ladybirds) are another family

with several species in the Cayman Islands, six

being recorded from Little Cayman (Askew

1980a). Employment of Azya tinitatis Marsham

and Cryptognatha nodiceps Marsham as potential

agents for biological control of scale insects is

mentioned above. In addition, the well-known

Australian ladybird, Rodolia cardinalis (Muls-

ant), which a century ago saved the Californian

citrus industry from the ravages of the Cottony

Cushion Scale (Icerya puchasi), is found in Grand

Cayman and has been released in Little Cayman.

Chilocorus cacti (Linnaeus) and Scymnus sp., to-

gether with Coccidophilus citricolus Brdthes (Dis-

colomidae), are also reported from Grand Cay-

man by Bennett (unpublished). The most

frequently noticed ladybird, found on all three

islands, is Cycloneda sanguinea (Linnaeus), a

large species with red, unspotted elytra.

A number of Tenebrionidae (darkling beetles)

from the Cayman Islands is recorded by Mararuzi

(1977) in a study of the Caribbean fauna. Trien-

toma kochi (Cayman Brac), five species of Diasto-

linus (dentipes and difurmis from Grand Cayman,

inflatitibin and minor from Little Cayman and

caymanensis from Cayman Brac), and Phaleria

caymanensis (Grand Cayman) are described as

new, and Blapstinus cubanusMaratzzi, B. ?sulci-

pennis Champion and Phaleria angustata Chevro-

lat are added to the islands' faunal list. Marcuzzi

concludes that the Cayman Islands' tenebrionid

fauna includes endemics of Antillean origins, ele-

ments probably derived from Central America,

some species shared with Cuba (and the Bah-

amas), and some Caribbean species which extend

as far west as Grand Cayman.

No other families of Cayman beetles have been

the subject of published studies, but it is apparent

350

that the fauna includes much of taxonomic and

biological interest. For instance, a common

flower-feeding beetle in Grand Cayman (Melo-

idae; Nemognathinae) is remarkable for its elon-

gated maxillae, the galeae forming a proboscis up

which nectar can be drawn as in some bees.

In addition to families mentioned above, the

following are known to occur in the Cayman Is-

lands: Cicindelidae, Leptodiridae, Scaphidiidae,

Pselaphidae, Orthoperidae, Cisidae, Cleridae,

Elateridae, Buprestidae, Scirtidae (Helodidae),

Chelonariidae, Heteroceridae, Derodontidae,

Rhizophagidae, Silvanidae, Phalacridae, Nitiduli-

dae, Lathridiidae (including M elanophthalma si g-

nata Belon), Colydiidae, Anthicidae, Euglenidae,

Oedemeridae, Mordellidae, Alleculidae, Anobii-

dae, Bostrichidae, Chrysomelidae, Bruchidae,

Curculionidae, Platypodidae and Scolytidae.

Trichoptera

No caddis flies have, to my knowledge, been

found in the Cayman Islands, although it is an

order which might be expected to be present.

Lepidoptera

The butterflies are reviewed above. Moths in the

Cayman Islands are many and varied. Perhaps

the most striking are Sphingidae (hawk moths)

which are the subject of papers by Jordan (1940)

and Askew (1980d) reporting findings of the 1938

and 1975 expeditions:

o Agrius cingulatus (Fabricius), Grand Cayman

1938, Little Cayman 1938,1975.

o Cocytius antaeus Drury, Grand Cayman 1938.

o Manduca sexta (lohansson), Grand Cayman

1938, Cayman Brac 1938, Little Cayman 1975.

Attributed by Jordan (1940) to subspecies 7'a-

maicensis Butler.

o M. rustica (Fabricius), Grand Cayman 1938.

Subspecies cubana Wood.

o M. brontes (Drury), Grand Cayman 1938,

Little Cayman 1938, 1975. Subspecies cubensis

Grote.

o Protambulyx strigilis (Linnaeus), Grand Cay-

man 1938.

o Pseudosphinx tetrio (Linnaeus), Grand Cay-

man 1938, Little Cayman 1938, 1975. The large

.FP(ryxus ce,icws (+p<c:^ct<,* Net.Tu* era)

black and yellow caterpillars feed upon frangi-

pani (Plumeria).

o Erinnyis alope (Drwy), Cayman Brac 1938.

o E. ello (Linnaeus), Grand Cayman 1938, 1985,

Cayman Brac 1938, Little Cayman \975. Lar-

vae on Conocarpus.

o E. oenotrzs Stoll, Grand Cayman 1938.

o E. obscura (Fabricius), Grand Cayman 1938.

c Madoryx pseudothyrerzs (Grote), Little Cay-

man 1975.

o Cautethia grotei Edwards, Grand Cayman

1938, Cayman Brac 1938, Little Cayman 1975.

Insects from the Lesser Caymans are subspec-

ies hilaris Jordan, 1940 (described from Cay-

man Brac) whilst those from Grand Cayman

are subspecies apira Jordan, 1940. This is a

small species with a wing span just over 30 mm.

o Aellopus tantalus (Linnaeus), Grand Cayman

1938, Little Cayman 1975. Subspecies zonata

Drury.

o Eumorpha vitis (Linnaeus), Cayman Brac

1938, Little Cayman 1975.

o E. fasciata (Sulzer), Grand Cayman 1938.

o E. labruscae (Linnae:us), Grand Cayman 1938.

o Xylophanes pluto (Fabricius), Grand Cayman

1938, 1985.

o X. tersa (Linnaeus), Little Cayman 1938, 1975.

o Celerio lineata (Fabricius), Cayman Brac 1938,

Little Cayman 1938, 1975.

o Pachylia ficus (Linnaeus), Grand Cayman

1985. Although not recorded by Jordan (1940),

there are specimens accessed in 1911 to the

British Museum (Natural History) which had

been collected by T.M. Savage English in

Grand Cayman,

Sphingids are mostly large moths and P. tetrio

can have a wing span exceeding 140 mm and fe-

male C. antaeus may measure almost 200 mm be-

tween the wing tips. Most moths in the Cayman

Islands are, however, small and the intermediate

size range appears to be under-represented in

comparison with a temperate fauna. This is espe-

cially noticeable in Noctuidae, probably the

largest family in the islands. Most Cayman noc-

tuids are small although the very large black witch

moth (Ascalapha odorata (Linnaeus)) is found in

Little Cayman. There are many species of 'micro-

lepidoptera' in the islands, at least seventy species

being found in Little Cayman (Askew 1980a),

and of these the family Pyralidae is especially

well-represented. Identifled pyralids from Little

Cayman are the pyraustines Palpita quadristig-

malis Guende, Diaphania hyalinata (Linnaeus),

Syngamia florella Cramer, Hymenia recttrvalis

(Fabricius), Pilocrocis drltalis Walker, P. tri-

punctata (Fabricius), Loxostege similalis Guen6e,

L. bifidalis (Fabricius), Herpetogramma phaeop-

teralis Guen6.e, Synclera jarbusalis Walker, Erota

vittata (Fabricius), Psara biptrncralls (Fabricius)

and Piletocera bufalis Guen6e, and the glaphyri-

ine Hellula phidealis Walker.

Lepidoptera seldom feature as economically

beneficial insects, but the small South American

pyralid Cqctoblqstis cactorum Berg has been used

very successfully in Australia to destroy its food

plant, the Prickly Pear cactus (Opuntia) . C . cacto-

rum was released in Grand Cayman in 1970 (F.D.

Bennett, unpublished) and the cactus does not

now appear to threaten the island's pastures, al-

though it is not known to what extent Cactoblastis

is responsible.

Other identif,ed moths from Little Cayman are

the noctuids Noropsis hieroglyphica Cramer,

Paectes arcigera Guen6e and Xanthopqstis timais

Cramer, Calidota strigosa Walker (Arctiidae),

Pseudomya minima (Grote) (Syntomidae) and

the brightly-coloured day-flying Composia fidel-

issima Herrich-Schiiffer (Pericopidae).

Diptera

In terms of numbers of individuals, Diptera must

surely be the most numerous order of insects in

the Cayman Islands. Mosquitoes (Culicidae) con-

tribute signiflcantly to this situation and they are

considered separately elsewhere in this volume.

Other families of nematocerous Diptera known

from the islands are Psychodidae, Ceratopogoni-

dae, Mycetophilidae, Sciaridae (a species of scia-

rid was so abundant in 1984 that it was a nuis-

ance), Chironomidae and Cecidomyiidae.

Ceratopogonidae (biting midges) are the sub-

ject of detailed studies by Davies and Giglioli

(1977a,b. l979a,b). Thirty-one species are listed

for Grand Cayman, two species of Dasyhelea

being especially common, but Culicoides furens

(Poey) is also numerous and is the species respon-

sible for most complaints by residents of biting.

Phlebotomine sandflies (Psychodidae) have

been investigated by Lewis (1968) in Cayman

351

Brac where two species were found: Lutzomyia

orestes (Fairchild & Trapido) (or a form closely

allied to it), a Cuban species, and L. cayennensis

(Floch & Abonnene) as subspecies bracl Lewis

which is allied to L. c. jamaicensrs (Fairchild &

Trapido). No species was found in either Grand

Cayman or Little Cayman.

There are no published accounts of the higher

Diptera (Brachycera, Cyclorrapha) except the

listing of 25 families detected in Little Cayman

(Askew 1980a): Stratiomyidae, Tabanidae, Asili-

dae, Therevidae, Bombyliidae, Empididae, Dol-

ichopodidae, Syrphidae, Otitidae, Tephritidae,

Sepsidae, Lauxaniidae, Lonchaeidae, Ephydri-

dae, Drosophilidae, Chloropidae, Agromyzidae,

Clusiidae, Asteiidae, Muscidae, Calliphoridae,

Sarcophagidae, Tachinidae, Hippoboscidae and

Streblidae. Additionally, in Grand Cayman in

1985, Lonchopteridae, Phoridae and Pipunculi-

dae were noted.

Especially interesting is a species of tachinid

captured in a Malaise trap erected on buttonwood

pasture, Midland Acres, Grand Cayman in Au-

gust 1985, This larviparous species was infected

by a fungus of the genus Stigmatomyces (Laboul-

beniales). The fungus draws all of its nourishment

from the fly and is ectoparasitic, not penetrating

the interior. Infested flies contained full-term lar-

vae. The fungus is very host-speciflc, no other

tachinids in the collection being attacked, and it

seems to be confined to female hosts. Fourteen

infested female flies were found, and of six unin-

fested flies, two were males. The fungus is further

restricted to growing on a limited region of the

host's integument, male and female reproductive

hyphae growing in tufts from the surface of the

third and fourth (rarely second and fifth) abdomi-

nal tergites.

Siphonaptera

Fleas occur on dogs in Grand Cayman but no

samples were collected.

Hymenoptera

No Symphyta are known but Apocrita, both Acu-

leata and Parasitica, are plentiful. The aculeate

family Formicidae (ants) is ubiquitous, ants of

many species (19 recognised in Little Cayman)

352

occurring in large numbers. Leaf-cutter ants (At-

tini) are represented by at least one species (Irc-

chymyrmex) (D.J. Stradling, pers. comm.).

Wasps in a wide range of families are also numer-

ous and the following have been identified:

o Bethylidae

Proseriola sp., Little Cayman 1975 and an-

other four bethylid species, Grand Cayman

1985.

o Tiphiidae

Myzinum apicalis Cresson, Little Cayman

1975, Grand Cayman 1985. 250 males col-

lected in a Malaise trap but only a single

female found. The species probably preys

upon scarabaeid larvae.

Myzinum unidentified species, Grand Cay-

man 1985.

o Mutillidae

Dasymutilla militaris (Smith), Little Cayman

1975.

o Rhopalosomatidae

Rhopalosoma poeyi Cresson, Little Cayman

1975. A nocturnally active insect, both sexes

collected by light traps and Malaise traps.

Rhopalosomatids are generally rare wasps.

Their larvae feed upon nymphal crickets

which are numerous in the Cayman Islands.

o Pompilidae

Anoplius scintillatus Krombein, Little Cay-

man 1975.

A. ?amethystinus (Fabricius), Grand Cay-

man 1985.

Poecilopompilus ?interruprzs (Say), Grand

Cayman 1985.

o Sphecidae

Microbembex monodonta (Say), Little Cay-

man 1975, nesting in sandy earth in full sun.

Observed robbing an ant of a mosquito

(Aedes taeniorhy nchus).

Stictia signata (Linnaeus), Little Cayman

1975, Grand Cayman 1975, 1985. This large

black and green wasp is widespread. It is

a bembicine, like the above, and in Little

Cayman the two species nest colonially in the

same areas, but Stictia tends to concentrate

where the ground is dappled with shade.

Nests are provisioned with Tachinidae and

Calliphoridae.

Trypoxylon succinctum Cresson, Grand Cay-

man 1985. Previously known only from

Cuba.

Liris ?fuliginosa (Dahlbom) and Liris sp.,

Grand Cayman 1985.

Tachysphex alayoi Pulawski, Little Cayman

1975. This and the two following species prey

upon Orthoptera.

Prionyx thomae (Fabricius), Little Cayman

1975.

Sphex ichneumoneus (Linnaeus), Little Cay-

man 1975, Grand Cayman 1985. Subspecies

?jamaicensis (Drury).

Sceliphron jamaicense (Fabricius), Little

Cayman 1975. Frequent about the shores of

lagoons. Preys upon spiders.

Oxybelinae, unidentified species, Little Cay-

man 1975,

o Vespidae

Pachodynerw cubensis (Saussure), Little

Cayman 1975, Grand Cayman 1975, 1985.

Colouration differences between different is-

land forms has led to several names being

employed for the taxonomically confusing

Caribbean fauna. A second, unidentified eu-

menine occurs in Grand Cayman.

Polistes major Beauvois, Grand Cayman

1985. This large, brown and yellow social

wasp hangs its nest of just a small number of

cells in trees and shrubs. It is plentiful in

Grand Cayman.

Bees, in contrast to wasps, are rather scarce

with a restricted fauna in the Cayman Islands,

only nine species of wild bees being recognised

to date: Colletidae (a species of Hylaeus in Little

Cayman), Megachilidae (one species of Megach-

ile (Pseudocentron) found in both Grand Cayman

and Little Cayman), Halictidae (Sphecodes sp.

and Augochlora sp. in Little Cayman, four differ-

ent species in Grand Cayman) and Apidae (a

single species of the anthophorine genus Centris

in Grand Cayman). There are bee-keepers in

Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, and the honey

bee Apis mellifera Linnaeus forages widely in

these islands.

The following numbers of species in families

of parasitic Hymenoptera were collected in Little

Cayman 1975 and in Grand Cayman 1985:

Figures for Grand Cayman are minima and

provisional pending further study, but the greater

number of species compared with Little Cayman

is striking. This is partly due to the larger land

area, but the use in Grand Cayman of a design

of Malaise trap more efficient in capturing mic-

rohymenoptera is undoubtedly contributory.

A noteworthy feature is the paucity of Ichneu-

monidae, perhaps associated with the scarcity of

medium-sized moths which are the hosts of sev-

eral species, and the relative frequency ofTachin-

idae which, in general, are more polyphagous and

which may successfully compete with some of the

more host-specialised ichneumonids. Parasitoids

of microlepidoptera (many Braconidae and Eulo-

phidae) and Homoptera (many Encyrtidae and

Aphelinidae), abundant host groups, feature

prominently, and egg parasitoids (Scelionidae,

Mymaridae and Trichogrammatidae) are also

well-represented.

The introduction of the aphelinids Eretmo-

cerus serius Silvestri and Prospaltella opulenta Sil-

vestri to control Aleurocanthus woglumi has been

mentioned already, and other beneficial chalcids

in Grand Cayman include Scutellista cyaneaMots-

353

chulsky (Pteromalidae), which parasitises Saisse-

tia oleqe and, no doubt, other scale insects

(Bennett, unpublished), Caenohomolopoda shi-

kokuensis (Tachikawa) (Encyrtidae), a parasitoid

of the diaspine bamboo scale Odonaspis penicil-

lata Green, and Euderomphale vittata Dozier

(Eulophidae), a parasitoid of the whitefly Aleuro-

discus dispersus (Bennett and Noyes 1989).

Of particular interest in the Grand Cayman

fauna are Tanaostigmodes ?slossonae Crawford,

a chalcid belonging to a genus of gall-making,

phytophagous species previously placed in Encyr-

tidae or Eupelmidae but recently accorded family

rank, and two species of Kapala (Eucharitidae).

Kapala are ant parasitoids with two very long

spines on the scutellum. One of the Cayman spe-

cies appears to be undescribed, differing from

both the South American K. furcata (Fabricius)

and K. floridana (Ashmead) from the southern

United States.

Concluding remarks

The insect fauna of the Cayman Islands is inter-

estingly varied, although the number of species is

rather low as would be expected on isolated,

small islands. Most orders are represented but

only Odonata, Orthoptera (sensu lato), some

groups of Hemiptera (aquatic bugs, Cicadellidae

and scale insects), Neuroptera, and some Coleop-

tera (Carabidae, Cerambycidae, water-beetles),

Diptera (Culicidae, Ceratopogonidae), Lepidop-

tera (Pyralidae) and Hymenoptera (ants) are re-

presented by unusually high numbers of species.

The large areas of more or less brackish water

explain the preponderance of dragonflies, water

bugs, water beetles and mosquitoes. Whilst local

conditions may favour some groups but provide

a less suitable habitat for others, it is the area of

an island which determines to a very large extent

the number of species that can be supported in

it. This is clearly demonstrated (Fig. l7.l) by

Caribbean butterfly faunas and is undoubtedly

applicable to most other groups.

Malaise trap samples, which include mainly

flying insects, indicate the balance of insect

groups (by individuals) in Grand Cayman and

Little Cayman (Table 17.3), with data from

Kansas and Surinam (Matthews and Matthews

Little

Cayman

Grand

Cayman

Ichneumonoidea

Ichneumonidae

Braconidae

Proctotrupoidea

Scelionidae

Ceraphronidae

Diapriidae

Platygastridae

Cynipoidea

Eucoilidae

Chalcidoidea

Eucharitidae

Chalcididae

Eurytomidae

Torymidae

Pteromalidae

Eupelmidae

Encyrtidae

Tanaostigmatidae

Eulophidae

Elasmidae

Aphelinidae

Trichogrammatidae

Mymaridae

354

Table 17.i. Percentage representation of insect orders (individuals) in Malaise trap samples from Little Cayman (1975) and Grand

Cayman (1985), compared with those from Surinam and Kansas (Matthews and Matthews 1971).

Little Cayman Grand Cayman Surinam Kansas

Collembola

Odonata

Orthoptera

Dermaptera

Psocoptera

Thysanoptera

Hemiptera Heteroptera

Hemiptera Homoptera

Neuroptera

Coleoptera

Lepidoptera

Diptera Nematocera

Diptera (other)

Hymenoptera Parasitica

Hymenoptera Aculeata

Total insects

0.1

0.8

0.1

< 0.1

1.8

< 0.1

< 0.1 < 0.1

t.7

0.1

6.5

0.1

0.5

6.8

0.1

t2.2

0.1

4.8

9.0

35.9

24,4

0.5

11.8

0.1

0.3

13.6

< 0.1

0.8

4.8

46.0

22.1

3.L

7.2

6s20

0.1

5.6

4.8

66.3

2149

2.3

0.4

4.6

14.0

58.0

19.0

90182

t2.3

2927

1971) shown for comparison. There is an overall

T6percent similarity between the samples, mainly

contributed by the dominance in all of Diptera

and the high representation of Hymenoptera. The

principal heterogeneities are greater numbers of

Hemiptera Homoptera in the two Cayman Is-

lands' samples and the scarcity of Coleoptera in

the Grand Cayman sample but, in general, there

is nothing unusual about the composition of the

Cayman Islands' entomofauna.

Cayman insects are predominantly colonists

from elsewhere. Some species have their origins

in North or Central America, a few in South

America, but the majority have come from other

Caribbean Islands and the evidence is very strong

that most of these originated in Cuba. Flight,

perhaps wind-aided, has brought many species to

the islands and this is a continuing process as

shown in the section on butterflies. Other modes

of immigration include carriage in floating plant

debris, and the accidental or deliberate introduc-

tion by man.

The Cayman Islands are much less isolated, as

far as insects are concerned, than their position

on the map might suggest. The evolution of new

species demands genetic isolation, and remark-

ably few species are recognised as endemic to the

islands. Nevertheless, there are faunal differences

between the three Cayman Islands which indicate

a degree of genetic isolation. Sometimes, as in

the case of the cicadas and cerambycid beetles,

each island is adjudged to have its own species,

sometimes, as in some butterflies, different sub-

species are found on different islands. However,

these taxonomic assessments of how far a given

population has moved in the process of speciation

are nearly always subjective, unsupported by tests

of reproductive isolation (usually impracticable)

or karyotype analyses.

Acknowledgements

For providing practical help or information neces-

sary in the preparation of this chapter, I am

greatly indebted to M.L. Askew, S. Conyers, J,E.

Davies, E.J. Gerberg, the late M.E.C. Giglioli,

M.V. Hounsome, J.A. Scott and D.R. Stoddart.

Thanks are due also to the following for assis-

tance with insect identification: P.C. Barnard

(Coniopterygidae), A. Brindle (Dermaptera), S.

Brooks (Chrysopidae), P.S. Corbet (Odonata),

M.C. Day (wasps), G. Else (Apoidea), H.C.

Evans (Laboulbeniales), M.E.G. Evans (Coleop-

tera), A.H. Hayes (Noctuidae), C. Johnson

(Coleoptera), J.H. Kennaugh (Diptera), M.A.

Kirby (Neuroptera), D. Morgan (Vespidae), C.

O'Toole (bees), M. Shaffer (Pyralidae), D,J.

Stradling (ants) and C.R. Vardy (Sphecidae).

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3s6

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342

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margin

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L.E. Gilbert

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This book had its origin when, about five years ago, an ecologist (MacArthur) and a taxonomist and zoogeographer (Wilson) began a dialogue about common interests in biogeography. The ideas and the language of the two specialties seemed initially so different as to cast doubt on the usefulness of the endeavor. But we had faith in the ultimate unity of population biology, and this book is the result. Now we both call ourselves biogeographers and are unable to see any real distinction between biogeography and ecology.

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Biogeography of Antillean Butterflies

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Insects of the Cayman Islands

Abstract