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.

2023 March 11

2023 March 11

Ian Cooper writes: I rode out to Colquitz River Park in Saanich and the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal around 5 AM this morning and managed to get a few photos before
it began raining and I had to call it quits.

 

    There are several families of somewhat similar nematoceran flies, and Ian and I (Jeremy Tatum) have been struggling for a while to sort them out.  However, last night Ian managed to get good close-ups of the top of the head of one of them, clearly showing three ocelli.  This places the insect in the Family Trichoceridae  (Winter Gnats).

 

 

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Winter gnat (Dip.: Trichoceridae)  Ian Cooper

 

 

 

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Winter gnat (Dip.: Trichoceridae)  Ian Cooper

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Winter gnat (Dip.: Trichoceridae)  Ian Cooper

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Winter gnat (Dip.: Trichoceridae)  Ian Cooper

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Winter gnat (Dip.: Trichoceridae)  Ian Cooper

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Deroceras sp. (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)  Ian Cooper

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Springtail Orchesella cincta (Coll.: Orchesellidae)    Ian Cooper

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Snout mite, Bdellidae (Acari: Bdellidae)    Ian Cooper

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Lauria cylindracea (Pul.: Lauriidae)    Ian Cooper