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.

November 18

2018 November 18

 

   Jochen Möhr  writes from Metchosin:   Some of my Kale plants are fairly eaten up.  During the day, I never found a caterpillar, but now, finally, I decided to go out in the dark and found indeed nine caterpillars.  They must be hiding in the soil during the day.

  Jeremy Tatum writes:   These are the European Large Yellow Underwing Moth Noctua pronuba.  They do indeed hide in the soil during the day, and come up to feed at night.  They can be found in almost any month of the year.

Large Yellow Underwing  Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Large Yellow Underwing  Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum adds:  I saw two Banded Woolly Bears Pyrrharctia isabella enjoying the sun at Tod Creek Flats this afternoon.

 

 

November 16

2018 November 16

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I visited Goldstream Park Nature House this morning.  There were dozens of Winter Moths there, but as far as I could see they were all Operophtera brumata.  I didn’t see any that I thought were O. bruceata.  I wonder if they have a different flight period, because I know I have seen them there before.  The only other moths I saw there were a Triphosa haesitata (American Tissue Moth), which was too high up to photograph, and the moth below.  The question is:  What is it?  It is certainly Erannis sp., and it is not E. tiliaria.  Is it the European E. defoliaria (which I think it is!), or is it E. vancouverensis?   Are these two really distinct species?  If so, which is the one we get here?  Is there really such an animal as E. vancouverensis?  For safely, I’ll just label it Erannis sp.  (even though I think it’s defoliaria!).

 


Erannis sp.  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

November 15

2018 November 15

 

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a European Winter Moth from Metchosin.   Now we need someone to go out to the Goldstream Park Nature House and photograph a native Bruce’s Winter Moth for us!

 

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

   Libby sent several photographs (two below) of Winter Moths from Port Alberni.  We think they are all O. brumata.

 

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Libby Avis

 

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Libby Avis

November 11

2018 November 11

 

    Val George sends a photograph of a spider that had been sitting on the wall of his house for a week.  Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for confirming its identity as a female Araneus diadematus.

 

 


Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Val George

 

November 10

2018 November 10

 

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a caddisfly from Metchosin, November 9.  Thanks to Libby Avis for identifying it as Halesochila taylori.

 



Halesochila taylori  (Tri.: Limnephilidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

   Libby writes from Port Alberni that she had two Mythimna unipuncta a couple of nights ago, and a Dargida procincta last week.

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a rather typical European Winter Moth Operophtera brumata from my Saanich apartment this morning, and, below it, another one, much more strongly marked, from UVic.

 

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum