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.

April 21

2019 April 21

Ron Flower writes:  We went back to the  Goldstream River yesterday April 20 at 1:30 pm. I got one shot of the Sexton Beetle before it flew away. We also saw 8 Western Spring Azures, 2 Satyr Commas, 2 Propertius Duskywings and 1 Mourning Cloak .

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Ron Flower

   Charlene Wood writes: This beetle is Nicrophorus defodiens. Black antennal club and base of elytral epipleuron entirely black whereas the epipluron base is orange in the similar looking N. vespilloides, which has a black antennal club (with fine white hairs on the 9th and 10th antennal segments).

   This species doesn’t bury its carrion in the soil, rather they conceal them under leaf litter or debris. The orange spots on the elytra are larger and more connected in other parts of its North American range, but coastal forms often have reduced spots on the elytra, as shown in yours.

Sexton beetle  Nicrophorus defodiens (Col.: Silphidae) Ron Flower

    Mike Yip writes from Nanoose:  Spent an hour at the Fairwinds Garry Oak meadows yesterday morning and saw at least a dozen Propertius Duskywings. The first one was basking on the grass and moss in one particular spot and it returned there regardless of the many distractions such as other duskywings. About six were seen nectaring on Blue-eyed Susan and one was on an oak branch but I don’t know if it oviposited. The only other species there was a Western Brown Elfin.   Later, two Western Spring Azures were seen on the Cross Road trail.

 

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep. Hesperiidae)  Mike Yip

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep. Hesperiidae)  Mike Yip

 

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep. Hesperiidae)  Mike Yip

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Mike Yip

   Gordon Hart writes:  On Saturday, April 20, we had a good day for butterflies. There was one fresh Cabbage White, one Mourning Cloak, at least two Western Spring Azures, and at least three commas, and I think all were Satyr Commas. I have attached a photo of the Cabbage White and a Satyr Comma. There were several  Mesoleuca gratulata flying around. We still have not seen any Orangetips.

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)  Gordon Hart

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

 

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Kirsten Mills and I saw a Moss’s Elfin and up to six Western Spring Azures on the Panhandle Trail near Francis Park today, April 21.

  Rosemary Jorna writes:  This very small jumping spider is living in a cherry tree in our Kemp Lake garden photographed April 20..

Jumping spider  (Ara.:  Salticidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Jumping spider  (Ara.:  Salticidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

   Rosemary writes:   The small spider below was resting on the rail of the bridge over Charters Creek on April 19, 2019 (Sooke River Road).   Robb Bennett writes: This is an ant-mimicking gnaphosid, a species of Sergiolus. Most probably Sergiolus columbianus but could be S. montanus.


Sergiolus(probably columbianus)  (Ara.: Gnaphosidae)  Rosemary Jorna