Note on the Transoceanic Insects Captured on East China Sea in 1977

During a voyage from June 16 to July 2, 1977, 2,363 of transoceanic insects belonging to 47 species, including a female mosquito of Culex tritaeniorhynchus, were captured on the East China Sea. A great number of insects were captured when the wind direction was from south-west and the location of the ship was at the south side nearby the rain front. When the direction of wind was changed into from the south-west at 1:30 a.m., June 25, 372 leaf-hoppers were suddenly taken during about one hour. In contrast, no leaf-hopper was captured in the evening before the midnight when the wind was blowing from the north. At 10:00 p.m., July 1, a female of Culex tritaeniorhynchus was captured on the external side of a cabin, the location of the boat was at 32°05′2N, 124°2′E, about 40 km south-west of Meshima Island which is located westerly the main island of Kyushu. This case suggests that the mosquito was transported by the south-west wind. It will be reasonable to assume that some population of the mosquitoes and the other insects are being regularly brought over East China Sea to the Japanese islands by the wind from a certain south area