2020 May 13 morning

   Bug identified!   Jeremy Tatum writes:  We have shown several  bugs (Hemiptera) recently, which I haven’t been able to identify.  So I am very happy that Libby Avis (who identifies most of our moths for us) has identified one of Rosemary Jorna’s bugs shown on May 10 afternoon (quod vide).

   Jeremy Tatum  writes:   At 6:00 pm last evening, May 12, there were two Painted Ladies on the summit of Mount Tolmie.  But I am seeing very few butterflies at all anywhere this year.  Are other butterfliers finding this, too?

  Mr E sends a picture of a young juvenile spider.   It is a bit hard to identify juvenile spiders, but Dr Robb Bennett has a good stab at it!  Dr Bennett writes:  Definitely a juvenile, but Linyphiidae rather than Theridiidae. Could be a young Pityohyphantes – that genus is characterized by a dark “tuning fork” pattern on the carapace, as in this specimen.  Though Pityos usually have a distinctive dark dorsal pattern on the abdomen, lacking here but that could just be because it’s a juvie…

Possibly Pityohyphantes (Ara.:  Linyphiidae) Mr E

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Apamea cinefacta

1 Egira rubrica

3 Eupithecias

3 Melanolophia imitata

1 Nola minna

2 Perizoma curvilinea

18 Tyria jacobaeae

5 Venusia obsoleta /pearsalli

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria 

Egira rubrica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Apamea cinefacta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 May 12

    We are looking for someone who would be willing to enter our butterfly records from Invert Alert into eButterfly.  Sonia Voicescu did this last year and she would be very happy to help her successor to get started.

   We are also looking for photographs of the spring brood (i.e. now!) of the Margined White, either sex, upper- or underside.  We are interested to see how this butterfly fits into the “napi complex”.

    Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of a Western Spring Azure, and a tiny hempiteran nymph, from the Sooke area.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Unidentified bug nymph (Hemiptera)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Hyalophora euryalus

1 Hydriomena manzanita

1 Lacinipolia cuneata

3 Melanolophia imitata

1 Nola minna 

1 Perizoma curvilinea

11 (!) Tyria jacobaeae

2 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

Lacinipolia cuneata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Hydriomena manzanita (Lep.: Geometrdae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum show a Firebrat.  It was a bit of a brat, too, for it waved its long antennae just as I pressed the button.

Firebrat Thermobia domestica (Thysanura:  Lepismatidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2020 May 11 afternoon

Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of two bugs from her garden near Kemp Lake, May 10. Thanks to Libby Avis, our moth expert, for identifying the first of these as Raglius alboacuminatus.  In an earlier version of this posting (writes Jeremy Tatum) I speculated that it was a “seed bug” of the Family Lygaeidae.  Apparently I wasn’t too far off the mark.  It is now classified as a “dirt-coloured seed bug” of the Family Rhyparochromidae, which was until recently a Subfamily of the seed bugs, Lygaeidae, but which now has full Family status.  The title “dirt-coloured” seems a little unfair for this particular species!

Raglius alboacuminatus (Hem.: Rhyparochromidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Possible dirt-coloured seed bug (Hem.: Rhyparochromidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   We have no expertise in ants or aphidids, either, so any help with Mr E’s photograph below would be greatly appreciated!

Ants and aphids.  Mr E

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

3 Eupithecia spp.

2 Hydriomena manzanita 

8 Melanophia imitata 

1 Perizoma curvilinea

7 Tyria jacobaeae (6 of them inside the lamp!)

6 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

2 Xanthorhoe defensaria

Eupithecia sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Eupithecia sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Eupithecia ravocostaliata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Melanolophia imitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 May 11 morning

   Jeremy Tatum shows a caterpillar of Hydriomena nubilofasciata from Garry Oak on Christmas Hill:

Hydriomena nubilofasciata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Here’s a picture of a Fourteen-spotted Ladybird from Mr E:

Fourteen-spotted Ladybird Beetle Calvia quattuordecimguttata (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Mr E

Unidentified aphidid (Hem.: Aphididae)  Mr E

   Scott Gilmore writes:  I have a poor photograph of a new to me long horned beetle –  Evodinus vancouveri  – which my son and I found at Mount Washington Sunday May 10.  Jeremy Tatum comments:  I don’t suppose many viewers will agree that this is a “poor” photograph!

Evodinus vancouveri (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Scott Gilmore

   Here are some photographs of Pholcus phalangioides from Jochen Möhr in Metchosin.  They are quite remarkable.  One of them shows the cast skin of the spider.  How does it carry out such a delicate operation and leave the cast skin apparently undamaged?   Another of the photographs shows the spider eating something.  Although we can’t be sure of what it is having for dinner, it does look rather like the spider Eratigena.  But how can such a delicate spider as Pholcus overcome and kill (if indeed that is what happened) such a huge, strong spider as Eratigena?  I asked Dr Robb Bennett about this, and this is how he replied:

Yes, a young Eratigena or Tegenaria domestica.   Pholcus (and various theridiids) are well known for taking down quite large prey. I used to survey for Eratigena agrestis and duellica population by quickly checking theridiid webs around building foundations and window frames.

Answer to moulting “how?” is “very carefully”! I believe there is much under-skin enzymatic action happening to grease the wheels, so to speak. And all parts of the spider are very soft and malleable during and after the moulting process. Skin and all major and micro setae harden up very shortly after the spider emerges. Interesting that the moulting procedure is fairly standard across the phylogenetic spectrum of spiders – first pop open the top of the carapace like a hinged manhole cover, then slowly wriggle the pedipalps and legs out of their old gloves and leggings, and then finally extricate the abdomen. Puff up a bit, then harden up, and good-to-go…

Pholcus phalangioides (Ara.: Pholcidae)  Jochen Möhr

Pholcus phalangioides (Ara.: Pholcidae)  Jochen Möhr

Pholcus phalangioides (Ara.: Pholcidae)  Jochen Möhr

  Here are two jumping spiders photographed by Mr E.  Thanks to Dr Bennett for confirming that the first is Eris militaris.  We can’t be sure of the second.

Eris militaris (Ara.: Salticidae)  Mr E

Unidentified jumping spider (Ara.: Salticidae)  Mr E

More to come later.  I am whelmed at the moment.  Jeremy Tatum

2020 May 10

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin yesterday morning (May 9):

2 Eupithecia sp. – probably graefii

1 Melanolophia imitata

2 Perizoma curvilinea

2 Tyria jacobaeae

2 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

and from this morning (May 10):

1 Apamea cinefacta

1 Eupithecia sp.

1 Hydriomena manzanita

1 Cladara limitaria

1 Melanolophia imitata

2 Perizoma curvilinea

1 Pero morissonaria

4 Tyria jacobaeae

4 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

Cladara limitaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Apamea cinefacta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

  Gordon Hart writes from the Highlands:  With the warm weather, we are finally having a good selection of butterflies. We had several first of the year butterflies for us: A Western Tiger Swallowtail on the Lilacs, a Grey Hairstreak, and a Cedar Hairstreak. This was in addition to several Western Spring Azures and two Green Commas.  I also photographed a moth disturbed from under a leaf.

  We thank Libby Avis for identifying this moth as Agrotis ipsilon.  This is a widespread Holarctic moth known in Britain as the Dark Sword-grass.  Its caterpillar is known  unflatteringly, in agricultural circles, as the black cutworm.  It likes the vegetables in your vegetable garden as much as you do.   It also has a reputation for damaging carefully-manicured golf courses.

Agrotis ipsilon (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Gordon Hart

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  Butterflies at last! These photographs were taken near the Charter’s Creek Trestle at the end of a long hike in the Sooke Hills . I was disappointed, dismayed by how few butterflies I saw on the hike, a few blues, moving too fast in the heat to settle. Then in the very last kilometre:

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)  Rosemary Jorna

And several metres on, ten or more Western Spring Azures hovering around or feeding on a very large fresh dog [censored]. Unfortunately I was clumsy in my approach so I only caught the one and did not have the time to linger while they regrouped. It is astonishing how fast nine butterflies can disappear.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jody Wells sends photographs of two butterflies and a moth from Central Saanich:

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jody Wells

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jody Wells

Mesoleuca gratulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jody Wells

   Jeremy Tatum reports one Painted Lady from the Mount Tolmie reservoir at 6:45 pm this evening.

More tomorrow…