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.

October 17

2020 October 17

 

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 

2 Drepanulatrix sp.

4 Orthosia mys

1 Platyptilia carduidactylus

1 Tetracis sp. 

 


Orthosia mys (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr


Tetracis sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


Platyptilia carduidactylus (Lep.: Pterophoridae)  Jochen Möhr

    Next is an interesting harvestman.  Thanks to Dr Philip Bragg for identifying it, and congratulations to Ian Cooper for persisting over several nights in getting the photographs at Colquitz River Park.   Dr Bragg writes:  The latest set of photos are excellent. No single photo showed everything I wanted to see but together I feel fairly confident in identifying the harvestman as Oligolophus tridens – – a European import. Ian’s initial photo showed a trident on the front of the carapace and spines on the ocular tubercle suggestive of Oligolophinae. Later photos were not clear enough to be sure about this but the current set support the initial suggestion. The trident is quite clear in one of the photos showing the harvestman eating some carrion. The pattern on the body is typical of O. tridens.


Oligolophus tridens  (Opiliones: Phalangiidae – Oligolophinae)  Ian Cooper

 


Oligolophus tridens  (Opiliones:  Phalangiidae – Oligolophinae )  Ian Cooper

 


Oligolophus tridens  (Opiliones:  Phalangiidae – Oligolophinae )  Ian Cooper


Oligolophus tridens  (Opiliones:  Phalangiidae – Oligolophinae )  Ian Cooper

   Another invertebrate that Ian photographed at Colquitz River Park is this nematoceran fly.  Not sure what it is yet.  Probably Tipulidae or Trichoceridae.  Most likely tipulid subfamily Limoniinae (sometimes treated as a full family, Limoniidae).

 

Unidentified (Dip.:  Limoniinae?)   Ian Cooper

 

 

 

 

October 16

2020 October 16

 

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Mechosin this morning:

 

2 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Eupithecia sp.

1 Epirrita autumnata

2 Orthosia mys

1 Sunira decipiens

 


Sunira decipiens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

October 14

2020 October 14

 

   Here are a snail, a slug and a bug photographed by Ian Cooper from Colquitz River Park:

 

Dark-bodied Glass Snail  Oxychilus draparnaudi (Pul.: Daubebariidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Dark-bodied Glass Snail  Oxychilus draparnaudi (Pul.: Daubebariidae)  Ian Cooper

 

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

 

 

Western Conifer Seed Bug  Leptoglossum occidentalis (Hem.: Coreidae)  Ian Cooper

 

  Ian also has a video of a woodlouse – probably Oniscus asellus – which can be reached by clicking on

https://tinyurl.com/y5ukvnut    (or try ctrl + click).

 

October 13

2020 October 13

 

   Jeff Gaskin writes that there was a Painted Lady near the Jeffery Pine on Mount Tolmie yesterday afternoon, October 12.

 

   A spider, a harvestman and a snail from near the 9 km marker on the Galloping Goose trail, photographed by Ian Cooper.  The spider is a nice artistic picture, but we shan’t attempt to identify it!

Spider     Ian Cooper

Harvestman     Ian Cooper

 

Lancetooth snail (Pul.: Haplotrematidae)   Ian Cooper

 

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 

1 Agrochola pulchella

1 Agrochola purpurea

1 Tetracis sp.

 


Tetracis sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Agrochola purpurea (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr


Agrochola pulchella (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr