INVERTEBRATE ALERT
This blog provides an informal forum for terrestrial invertebrate watchers to post recent sightings of interesting observations in the southern Vancouver Island region. Please send your sightings by email to Jeremy Tatum (tatumjb352@gmail.com). Be sure to include your name, phone number, the species name (common or scientific) of the invertebrate you saw, location, date, and number of individuals. If you have a photograph you are willing to share, please send it along. Click on the title above for an index of past sightings.The index is updated most days.

March 1

St David’s Day, 2021

 

   Mr E sends photographs of a tick and a termite from R.O. Bull Park in North Saanich, February 27.  Thanks to Dr. Robbin Lindsay for identifying the tick as an unfed male Ixodes pacificus.  The termite identification was slightly tricky.  The Families of termites can be distinguished according as to whether there are more than or fewer than 22 antennal segments.  Naturally, this one has exactly 22.  Nevertheless (writes Jeremy Tatum) Mr E and I believe this to be a dampwood termite Zootermopsis angusticollis – supported by finding it in a wet stump.   Termites were at one time in the Order Isoptera, though they are now joined with cockroaches (!) in the Order  Blattodea.

 

 


Ixodes pacificus (Ixodida:  Ixodidae)   Mr E


Ixodes pacificus (Ixodida:  Ixodidae)   Mr E


Ixodes pacificus (Ixodida:  Ixodidae)   Mr E


Zootermopsis angusticollis (Blattodea:  Archotermopsidae)  Mr E


Zootermopsis angusticollis (Blattodea:  Archotermopsidae)  Mr E

More stuff on the way tomorrow!