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 February 9

2023 February 9

 

A few more invertebrates photographed by Ian Cooper, February 8 at *Colquitz Creek Park or the #Galloping Goose Trail, View Royal.

 

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#Pimoa sp. (Ara.: Pimoidae)   Ian Cooper

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#Pimoa sp. (Ara.: Pimoidae)   Ian Cooper

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# Linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)  Ian Cooper

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*Globose springtail Ptenothrix sp.(Coll.: Dicyrtomidae)  Ian  Cooper

 

 

 

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Brown Field Slug – Deroceras panormitanum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae) Ian Cooper

2023 February 8

2023 February 8

 

   Ian Cooper photographed some creatures at the Galloping Goose trail in View Royal early this morning, February 8.  Here is a snout mite.

 

 

 

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Snout mite (Trombidiformes:  Bdellidae)   Ian Cooper

2023 February 5

2023 February 5

 

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs of a moth and a beetle from Metchosin, February 4.
Thanks to Scott Gilmore for identifying the beetle.

 

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Hypena californica (Lep.: Erebidae – Hypeninae)  Jochen Möhr

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Hypena californica (Lep.: Erebidae – Hypeninae)  Jochen Möhr

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Necrophilus hydrophiloides (Col.: Agyrtidae)  Jochen Möhr

2023 January 31

2023 January 31

 

  Rosemary Jorna writes: I met this little spider way out in the forest near Tugwell Creek on January 30. He  was quite lively in spite of the ice crystals on the leaves around him.

It was provisionally labelled here as a theridiid, but Dr Robb Bennett writes: I noticed an error  with respect to the 30 January spider of Rosemary Jorna –  nice image. Catherine Scott pointed out to us that it’s not a theridiid. For one thing, it has macrosetae (large moveable “spines”) on its legs which, characteristically, theridiids lack. So we had another  look and agree that it is a linyphiid, probably  Pityohyphantes rubrofasciatus.

 

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Immature male Pityohyphantes (probably rubrofasciatus)   Rosemary Jorna

Lymantria dispar

2023 January 20

 

   Lymantria dispar

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:   On January 14, while writing about the proposed insecticide spraying program for L.dispar,  I expressed an opinion something to the effect that the change in its English name to Spongy Moth was “politically correct”, and that I didn’t know who, if anyone, was offended by the old name.  I quickly received two letters(and will doubtless receive a few more) pointing out that the G-word is exceedingly offensive to the Romani people, and for good reason  (in a similar manner to why the N-word is offensive to Black people).  I need hardly say, I hope, that no offence was intended, and I apologize for the comments (which I have now erased) that I made.  I am much indebted to Leah Ramsay for the following link, which gives some background.

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/invasive-moth-gets-a-new-name-spongy-moth-180979680/