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.

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

2023 March 8

2023 March 8

 

 

Here is a selection of miscellaneous invertebrates photographed by Ian Cooper at the
Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal or in Colquitz River Park last night

 

 

 

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Snout Mite (Acari: Bdellidae) Ian Cooper

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Grey Field Slug  Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)  Ian Cooper

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Female Linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

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Crane fly or Winter gnat (Dip.: Tipulidae or Trichoceridae) Ian Cooper

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Spider, possibly Linyphantes sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae)

Springtail, possibly Ptenothrix sp. (Coll.: Dicyrtomidae) 

 Ian Cooper

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 Hydriomena nubilofasciata (Lep.: Geometridae) Ian Cooper

2023 March 6

2023 March 6

 

 

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a highflyer moth (Hydriomena sp.) from Metchosin this morning.  Although it looks more than a little like H. furcata, the July Highflyer, this is not July, and it is much more likely to be the Oak Winter Highflyer H.nubilofasciata.   Jeremy Tatum writes: I don’t think any of them fly particularly high.

 

 

 

 

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Hydriomena nubilofasciata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

 

2023 March 5

2023 March 5

 

Aziza Cooper sends a photograph of a cocoon of a Polyphemus Moth found at Swan Lake today.

 

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Polyphemus cocoon Antheraea polyphemus (Lep.: Saturniidae ) Aziza Cooper

2023 March 1

2023 March 1

 

Cheryl Hoyle sends a photograph of a Running Crab Spider from View Royal, February 28.  Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for identifying it as Philodromus rufus.

 

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Philodromus rufus (Ara.: Philodromidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   Ian Cooper writes from James Bay, February 28: I spotted a number of honey bees feeding on flowers in James Bay this afternoon – my first bee sightings of the year!  The location was a flower bed by the Royal Scot Hotel in James Bay.  I was surprised to see bees buzzing around in a flower garden.  Not sure what kind of flowers they are, but someone may recognize them, as they seem to be popular ornamentals that can withstand our cooler months.  (Bill Savale says probably Helleborus sp.)

 

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Honey Bee  Apis mellifera (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

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Honey Bee  Apis mellifera (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

 

 

 

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Honey Bee  Apis mellifera (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper