Our knowledge of Antarctic Aptera has been growing rapidly during the last few years, a number of species from remote southern regions having been described by Willem (1902) from the countries south of Patagonia explored by the Belgica, by Schaffer (1897) from Tierra del Fuego, by Enderlein (1903) from Kerguelen, and a single Isotoma by the present writer (1902) from South Victoria Land. We find in the Antarctic as in the Arctic regions that in our advance towards the most remote and inhospitable lands, where winged insects eease to be represented, the primitive Aptera are still found fairly numerous in species, and often multitudinous in individuals. A careful study of these small frail insects fully repays the naturalist, both on account of the interest of their structure and the light which their distribution throws on geographical problems. |
