2020 October 8 morning

   Rosemary Jorna writes from Kemp Lake:  Those  Scaphinotus angusticollis (Snail-eating Ground Beetles) are abundant this year. I was removing some invasive plants from our property and uncovered 4 of them, only 2 hung round for a photoshoot.  They may have had something to do with the empty snail shell I found about 20 cm from them.

Scaphinotus angusticollis (Col.: Carabidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  There were lots of Banded Woolly Bears (caterpillars of the Isabella Moth) at Panama Flats yesterday.  October is the month to find these caterpillars, and they are usually common at Panama Flats.  In case anyone is tempted to rear one to adult moth, please be advised that these are among the most difficult of caterpillars to rear successfully, and they are not recommended for a first attempt to rear caterpillars.

Three legs is all that Robb Bennett needed to identify the spider below, photographed by Ian Cooper along the Galloping Goose Trail.  Dr Bennett writes:  Nice photo! Yes, assuming it’s a local inhabitant, it’s Antrodiaetus pacificus.  Waiting to kill something.

Trapdoor Spider Antrodiaetus pacificus (Ara. – Myg.: Antrodiaetidae)  Ian Cooper

2020 October 7 afternoon

   For those who like fast, action-packed movies,  Ian Cooper has made a movie of a Banana Slug on the Galloping Goose Trail.   It can be viewed by clicking on

https://tinyurl.com/y299mo6x

2020 October 7 morning

   A collection of invertebrates photographed by Ian Cooper during another dusk excursion to the Galloping Goose 9km marker:

   These Snail-eating Beetles really do seem to enjoy feasting upon snails! 

Snail-eating Beetles Scaphinotus angusticollis (Col.: Carabidae)  Ian Cooper

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

   We are not sure which of two species of polygyrid snail this is:

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

Probably Uroleucon sp. (Hem.: Aphididae)  Ian Cooper

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Eupithecia sp.

1 Eulithis xylina

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Philedia punctomacularia

1 Sunira decipiens

1 Tetracis jubararia

Sunira decipiens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Tetracis (probably jubararia)  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Philedia punctomacularia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This delicate little moth was on the wall of my Saanich apartment building last night:

Amblyptilia pica (Lep.: Pterophoridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2020 October 6

  Jochen Möhr photographed a Harvestman in Metchosin on October 4.  Dr Philip Bragg of UBC writes:  Your guess that the specimen might be Nelima is pretty good, but I think that it is more likely to be Leptobunus parvulus. The photograph is good but it does not show clearly important details e.g. that the palpal claw of Nelima is denticulate whereas in Leptobunus it is smooth. Thanks for sending it. (And thanks, Dr Bragg, for identifying it!)

Probably Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jochen’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Eupithecia sp.

1 Orthosia mys – same as previous two days.

No pics taken

Lots more tomorrow…

2020 October 5 morning

   Here’s a rather fierce-looking spider photographed by Ian Cooper along the Galloping Goose trail, and kindly identified for us by Dr Robb Bennett as a  mature male Callobius pictus.

Callobius pictus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae)  Ian Cooper

   And a beetle, kindly identified for us by Scott Gilmore:

Helops pernitens (Col.: Tenebrionidae)  Ian Cooper

   Jochen Möhr’s short list of moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Orthosia mys

Orthosia mys (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr