2022 November 27

   Technical note: Contributors may have noticed that for a long time their photographs were being reproduced on Invert Alert at rather a small size.  In most cases this was a result of a computer problem that I could not overcome.  I seem to have partially solved the problem now, and most photographs will be shown at a decent size. The only problem now is that I cannot see the posting on my computer before I press the Send button, and I have to hope for the best.

  Today: More middle-of-the-night denizens of the Galloping Goose trail in View Royal, photographed by Ian Cooper in the early morning hours of November 25.

Harvestman (Opiliones)  Ian Cooper

Barklouse  Ectopsocus californicus  ( Psocodea –  Ectopsocidae) Ian Cooper

Damsel Bug (Hem.: Nabidae) Ian Cooper

Linyphiid spider, possibly Neriene sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

2022 November 26

     Ian Cooper sends more photographs from his middle-of-the night session yesterday morning.  These are four different identified species of woodlice, and two flies, which we despair of identifying.

European Sowbug  Oniscus asellus (Isopoda: Oniscidae) Ian Cooper

Common Rough Woodlouse  Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Porcellionidae) Ian Cooper

Common striped woodlouse  Philoscia muscorum (Isopoda: Oniscidae) Ian Cooper

Common Pill Bug  Armadillidium vulgare (Isopoda: Armadillidiidae)  Ian Cooper

Unidentified fly (Diptera – Nematocera)  Ian Cooper

Unidentified fly (Diptera)  Ian Cooper

2022 November 25

    Ian Cooper writes:  I went on a very productive, multi-hour photoshoot overnight (November 25 morning) at Colquitz River Park in Saanich and the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal. Recent precipitation and mild weather seem to have brought many critters out of the woodwork and leaf litter, some of which I’d not seen in many months. The photo-shoot ended only because it started to rain around 6:00 a.m. in View Royal. Luckily, I had rain gear on, as it rained continuously on the 40-minute ride back to James Bay.

The identifications below are the best that Ian and Jeremy Tatum can come up with.  We make no claim to be experts, but we have given them all some thought and we believe they are all “probably or better” correct.   If anyone disagrees, or can go further, do please let us know.

Linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

Callobius pictus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae) Ian Cooper

Robust Lancetooth Snail – Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae) Ian Cooper

Emmelina monodactyla (Lep.: Pterophoridae)  Ian Cooper

Scaphinotis angusticollis (Col.: Carabidae)  Ian Cooper

Centipede (Class Chilopoda. Order possibly Lithobiomorpha)  Ian Cooper

The same centipede is shown below, taking an interest in a Porcellio woodlouse for possible dinner

Centipede (Class Chilopoda. Order possibly Lithobiomorpha)  Ian Cooper

Flat-backed Millepede Scytonotus sp. (Class Diplopoda,  Order Polydesmida:  Polydesmidae)

Ian Cooper

  Thanks to Sam McNally for the millepede identification.

2022 November 24

    Cheryl Hoyle sends a photograph of a Western Conifer Seed Bug from View Royal yesterday.

Leptoglossus occidentalis (Hem.: Coreidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin: After a long hiatus, an Erannis vancouverensis was on our wall yesterday morning.

Erannis vancouverensis/defoliaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I retain my long-held suspicions that this may actually be the European E.defoliaria.    Also, in Saanich, I have had the same experience as Jochen, with a long hiatus.  Until yesterday, November 23, I had seen only two Winter Moths this November – on November 11 and 15.  Then suddenly, yesterday, four turned up at the back door of my apartment building.

Yesterday, November 23, Jochen also photographed the beautiful moth below.  Libby Avis writes: That’s a really pretty moth. It’s an Acleris for sure (family Tortricidae), but they’re notoriously difficult to sort out – lots of variation even among individuals of the same species. Haven’t seen one like that, so I sent it to Dave Holden who does a lot of work on micro moths. He thinks Acleris semiannula is probably the closest match, but he hasn’t seen that pattern form either, so it’s just a best guess – it would need dissection to be sure.

Acleris (probably semiannula) (Lep.: Tortricidae) Jochen Möhr

2022 November 20

    Ian Cooper writes:  Here are a few more photographs from November 19.   The first is from Colquitz River Park in Saanich.   The other three are from the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal. All pictures are of spiders because the cold seems to have shut down everything else.

Linyphiid spider, possibly Neriene sp. (Ara.:  Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

Linyphiid spider, possibly Neriene sp. (Ara.:  Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

Linyphiid spider, possibly Neriene sp. (Ara.:  Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

   The next one is a smallish spider, about 1cm. Is it an unidentified linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae), or a juvenile Pimoa altioculata (Ara: Pimoidae) ?   I’m leaning towards the latter.   [Jeremy Tatum writes:   So am I – just.]

Maybe Pimoa altioculata (Ara.: Pimoidae)  Ian Cooper