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.

December 8

2019 December 8

 

   Jochen Möhr sends more Operophtera (winter moth) photographs from Metchosin.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I believe (note the uncertainty!) the first is O. occidentalis, and the rest are O. brumata.

 

 

Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 


Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 


Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 


Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

   Jeremy continues:  Today I went out to Goldstream Park, and there were hundreds of Operophtera at the nature house.  I believe both brumata and occidentalis were there, though I believe most were occidentalis.  Many, of course, I couldn’t  be sure of either way, and unfortunately I didn’t spot any of the rarer danbyi.  I took a few photographs of moths that are surely occidentalis.


Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

 


Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

 


Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

 


Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

 


Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

 

   I also took two photographs of a female.   I can’t clearly see the wing stubs from the photographs, although I think if it had been brumata, the wing stubs would have been easily visible – large enough to cover the thorax, so I think this female is probably occidentalis.

 


Operophtera (probably occidentalis) (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

 


Operophtera (probably occidentalis) (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum