2021 March 7

    Here’s a spider from the Galloping Goose Trail, photographed by Ian Cooper on March 6.  This is what Dr Bennett writes:

I looked at these with Darren Copley. We agree that the spider is a linyphiid but are unsure whether linyphiine or erigonine. Possibly a Bathyphantes (linyphiine) but could also be something else such as a Grammonota (erigonine). There aren’t actually all that many linyphiids with chevron-like abdominal patterns. I think we lean towards Bathyphantes.

    We hope these long words are long enough for our viewers – and we thank Robb and Darren for taking so much trouble to identify a modest little spider.  For those who may be slightly baffled by the long words, they are not as mysterious as they sound.  Sheetweb spiders belong to the Family Linyphiidae (Families end in –idae), and members of this Family are referred to as linyphiids.   The Family Linyphiidae includes several Subfamilies (ending in –inae), such as Linyphiinae and Erigoninae, and spiders belonging to these linyphiid subfamilies are referred to as linyphiines and erigonines.  Bathyphantes and Grammonata are genera (plural of genus.)  So now you know! 

Just maybe Bathyphantes sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)  Ian Cooper

2021 March 6

    Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of a tiny moth and a tiny beetle from Kemp Lake.  Thanks to Scott Gilmore for identifying the beetle to Family level.

Alucita montana (Lep.: Alucitidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Small beetle (Col.: Eucinetidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   And talking of tiny insects, writes Jeremy Tatum, here’s one from the Tineidae – which doesn’t mean tiny.  It is a web-spinning clothes moth, regrettably from my apartment.

Tineola bisselliella (Lep.: Tineidae)   Jeremy Tatum

  And now – a big insect:   Ian Cooper found this cocoon of a giant sawfly along the Galloping Goose Trail.  Not sure which of two species it is.

Trichiosoma triangulum or Cimbex americana (Hym.: Cimbicidae)

Ian Cooper

2021 March 5

   Here are more slugs and snails from the Galloping Goose Trail, by Ian Cooper.

Arion sp. (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Arion rufus (Pul.:  Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Cryptomastix germana or Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)  Ian Cooper

   Ian also found there this chrysalis of a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.  We can’t tell for sure whether it is a Western or Pale Tiger.

Papilio rutulus or eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Ian Cooper

2021 March 4

   We have lots of similar species of tiny spiders in our area, and, like tortricid caterpillars and lots of other groups, we can’t always manage to identify them, so we’ll have to settle for this one, photographed along the Galloping Goose Trail on March 1 by Ian Cooper, as either a linyphiine linyphiid or perhaps a pimoid.

Linyphiinae or Pimoidae       Ian Cooper

  Spring hasn’t quite arrived yet, but Rosemary Jorna photographed two syrphids in her Kemp Lake garden  on March 3.  The first is a Narcissus Bulb Fly.  Thanks to Dr Jeff Skevington for identifying the second as probably Melangyna lasiophthalma , decribed by Jeff as a very early Spring species.

Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Melangyna lasiophthalma (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Melangyna lasiophthalma (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

2021 March 2

   Mr E sends photographs of a weevil, kindly identified by Scott Gilmore as an Obscure Root Weevil Sciopithes obscurus.  Photographs taken on March1, as were all photographs in this posting.

Obscure Root Weevil Sciopithes obscurus (Col.: Curculionidae)    Mr E

Obscure Root Weevil Sciopithes obscurus (Col.: Curculionidae)    Mr E

      Ian Cooper sends photographs of a snail and a slug from Colquitz River Park:

Lauria cylindracea (Pul.: Lauriidae) Ian Cooper

Brown Field Slug Deroceras panormitanum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)

And more slugs from the Galloping Goose Trail, View Royal:

Banana slug – Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper

A very young Arion hortensis agg. (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper

Cryptomastix germana or Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae) Ian Cooper