chapter 5 The inventory of the Greenland entomofauna

Jens Böcher

The present account is primarily based on Henriksen (1921–37), Henriksen & Lundbeck (1917) and Henriksen (1939). Principal sources of supplementary information are Wolff (1964) and Danks (1981). The initial Danish inventory of the Greenland fauna is totally dominated by a single figure, namely Otto (or Otho) Fabricius (1744–1822), “the founder of Greenlandic zoology” (Fig. 1); he was a distant relative of the contemporary famous entomologist, Johann C. Fabricius. Otto Fabricius was a missionary in Paamiut/Frederikshåb, South Green­ land, during five years (1768–73) and his 1780 book ʻFauna Groenlandicaʼ – is the classical work on arctic animal life. Because of the wealth of accurate biological and faunistic information, this work has retained its value in modern time. It described about 470 animal species, including 62 insects and 19 arachnids. More than a fourth are “novae spe- cies”, and with few exceptions all the species are so carefully described that they are today fairly easily identified. For 77 years ʻFauna Groenlandicaʼ was the only written source on Greenland zoology, although additional species were discovered. C. P. Holbøll (1795–1856) collected ʻnaturaliaʼ (including several insects) for the ʻKongelige Naturhistoriske Museumʼ (the Royal Museum of Natural History, one of the forerunners of Copenhagen Zoological Museum and hence of the present ʻNatural History Figure 1 Otto Fabricius (Contemporary painting by Museum of Denmarkʼ). J. L. M. Vahl (1796–1854) in 1828–36 unknown artist). travelled along the west coast of Greenland in order to col­ lect plants and animals including insects, and later he – together with H. Krøyer (renowned ichthyologist and increased the number of known Diptera to 55, of which carcinologist) – joined a French expedition (led by eight were new to science. P. Gaimard) to Nordkap (Norway) and Svalbard. While A systematic list of all the known Greenland insects Vahl’s botanical achievements were enormous, his ento­ and arachnids by Schiødte (1857) was for a long time the mological contributions were modest; nonetheless, this reference work on the Greenland fauna of land arthro­ new Greenland material forms the basis of Stægerʼs over­ pods. Subsequent developments in the knowledge about view (1845) of the Greenland Diptera. this fauna was in no small measure due to Danish laymen Also a number of foreign expeditions added knowledge resident in West Greenland, including C.G.F. Pfaff and about the Greenland fauna of insects and arachnids. From C.J.S.I. Thaarup (medical practitioners in Ilulissat/ the British expedition to East Greenland 1822 led by Jakobshavn and Ivittuut, respectively) and the civil ser­ W. Scoresby, Jameson & Wilson (in Scoresby 1823) reported vant E. C. Fencker. One of the most important private the finds of the first insect species collected in East collections of Greenland insects was procured by G. A. Greenland, and Lefebvre (1836a, 1836b) described a few Meldorf, an officer of health in the Qaqortoq/Julianehåb Lepidoptera. district 1897–1903. J. No Nygaard, assistant 1906–12 to the In ʻInsecta Lapponicaʼ Zetterstedt (1840) enumerated botanist Morten Pedersen Porsild at the ʻDen Danske 61 species of insects from Greenland, while Stæger (1845) Arktiske Station på Diskoʼ (now ʻThe Arctic Station, 38 5. The inventory of the Greenland entomofauna – Böcher

University of Copenhagenʼ, Fig. 2) at Qeqertarsuaq/Disko; he procured a large material of Lepidoptera, especially from the Ameralik Fjord south of Nuuk/Godthåb. The col­ lections formed by all of these are (entirely, or for the greater parts) now in the Natural History Museum of Denmark. During the last half of the nineteenth century the exploration of Greenland was to a high degree carried out by expeditions and scientists from countries other than Denmark. Holmgren (1872) treated and published on the insect material collected during A.E. Nordenskiöld’s 1870 expedition to Northwest Greenland (Aasiat/Egedesminde, Qeqertarsuaq/Disko). During A.E. Nordenskiöld’s expedi­ tion in 1883 to Indlandsisen (the Ice Cap), G. Kolthoff col­ lected insects in the Arfersiorfik fiord (ca. 68°N). The Figure 2 The Arctic Station, University of Copenhagen, in results were published by Aurivillius (1890), Sahlberg March 1968 when the old main building (right) was (1901), and Forsslund (1932). still white; following a thorough renovation (1980) it ʻGrönland-Expedition der Gesellschaft für Erdkunde in was painted red. The station is positioned 1 km east Berlinʼ (1891–93) under the leadership of Erich von Drygalski of Qeqertarsuaq/Godhavn on the south coast of the operated in the innermost part of the Uummannaq fiord- island Qeqertarsuaq/Disko. It was erected in 1906 complex (70°30’N), where E. Vanhöffen collected insects by the botanist Morten P. Porsild, and is the oldest and arachnids, published in 1897 by Kramer, Lenz, research station in the Arctic. The main building Rübsaamen, and Vanhöffen. comprises guest facilities and the home of the The Norwegian ʻ2den ‘Fram’ Ekspeditionʼ 1898–1902 with station manager. To the left the resident scientist’s O. Sverdrup as leader and E. Bay and H. G. Simmons as zoo­ private home, in middle the laboratory and library logical collectors worked in both middle West Greenland building. In the background the mountain (Qeqertarsuup Tunua/Disko Bugt) and on Ellesmere Island. Skarvefjeld. Strand (1905) published the entomological outcome. The insects collected during ʻDie zweite deutsche in particular two geologists, A. Kornerup (1857–1881) and Nordpolarfahrtʼ 1869 & 1870, led by Koldewey and Payer, the later professor K.J.V. Steenstrup (1842–1913). Kornerup onboard the ʻGermaniaʼ to Northeast Greenland between took part in three expeditions, e.g., together with J.A.D. 73° and 77° N were treated by Gerstäcker (1874) and v. Jensen to a nunatak-area in the Paamiut/Frederikshåb dis­ Homeyer (1875), who thereby added considerably to the trict which were later named after Jensen. Kornerup (1879) scanty knowledge of the insect fauna of that remote region. described the biota on one of the nunataks. The relatively meagre entomological outcome of the In the years 1883–85 the Danish ʻKonebåd American ʻPolaris Expeditionʼ in 1872 (led by C.F. Hall) to Ekspeditionenʼ (ʻthe Umiak Expeditionʼ) sailed along the Ellesmere Land, Northwest- and North Greenland (78°–82° southeastern coast from Nunap Isua/Kap Farvel to N) was published Osten-Sacken (1878), Packard (1877) Tasiilaq/Ammassalik. The biologist member of the expe­ and Thorell (1878), while McLachlan (1878) reported on dition, P. Eberlin, in addition to making large collections the findings by a contemporary English expedion to the of plants and minerals collected a few insects. Much more same area. important for the exploration of the Greenland insect and In 1878 ʻKommissionen for Ledelsen af de geologiske og arachnid fauna was ʻSkibsekspeditionen til Grønlands geografiske Undersøgelser i Grønlandʼ was established Østkyst 1891–1892ʼ, which explored the huge Scoresby (now ʻThe Commision for Scientific Research in Greenlandʼ). Sund fiord complex onboard the ʻHeklaʼ. The expedition This meant that the scientific exploration of Greenland overwintered in ʻHekla Havnʼ on Danmarks Ø. Insects now became coordinated and centrally organized. The were collected partly by the zoologist and geologist E. Bay, results of the activities were (and still are to a great extent) but to a higher degree by the physician of the expedition, published in the series ʻMeddelelser om Grønlandʼ and its Henrik Deichmann. He not only collected a large material, successors (including ‘Greenland Bioscience’). Some of the but also carried out interesting phenological studies on scientists sent to Greenland by the Commision besides insect life during winter and spring. The material was pub­ their main task collected insects for the Zoological Museum, lished by Deichmann & Lundbeck (1895), for which