2019 July 11

   We have an identification for another of the unknown insects on the July 9 posting – Lincoln Best and Annie Pang agree that Gordon Hart’s bee is Bombus flavifrons:

Bombus flavifrons (Hym.: Apidae) Gordon Hart

Gordon has another photograph of it:

Bombus flavifrons (Hym.: Apidae) Gordon Hart

  Cheryl Hoyle sends a photograph of two Rhododendron Leafhoppers from her View Royal garden, July 10:

Rhododendron Leafhopper Graphocephala fennahi (Hem.: Cicadellidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   She also sends a photograph of a Painted Lady caterpillar from the Holland Polint Shoreline Trail, July 10.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin yesterday morning:

1 Biston betularia

1 Cabera erythemaria

1 Campaea perlata

1 Clemensia umbrata

1 Drepana arcuata

1 Edonia commortalis

3 Eulithis xylina

1 Gabriola dyari

2 Hesperumia latipennis

2 Hesperumia sulphuraria

6 Homorthodes hanhami

6 Nadata gibbosa

2 Nemora darwiniata

2 Pero mizon

1 Scopula quinquelinearia

Scopula quinquelinearia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Cabera erythemaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Clemensia umbrata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae – Lithosiini) Jochen Möhr

   Libby Avis tells us that Clemensia for our area has had a name change to C. umbrata – the old species albata was split into two in 2018. C. albata is now limited to the north east of North America. 

Campaea perlata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Eudonia sp. (probably commortalis)

(Lep.: Crambidae)

Jochen Möhr

Pero mizon (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Hesperumia latipennis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  One of the needles on the Douglas Fir twig below is actually a geometrid caterpillar.  We don’t (yet) know the species, though it is probably a pug (Eupithecia sp.).

Geometrid caterpillar  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2019 July 10 evening

   Jochen Möhr had a huge haul in Metchosin last night:

1 Eupithecia

1 Agrotis vancouverensis

2 Biston betularia

2 Callizzia amorata

2 Drepana arcuata

1 Eulithis xylina

2 Gabriola dyari

1 Hesperumia latipennis

2 Homorthodes hanhami

2 Lacinipolia strigicollis

5 Nadata gibbosa

1 NemorIa darwiniata

2 Panthea virginarius

1 Perizoma costiguttata

1 Pyrausta perrubralis

1 Scopula quinquelinearia

2 Sicya crocearia

1 Leucoma salicis

1 Stenoporpia excelsaria

1 Autographa californica

Pyrausta perrubralis (Lep.: Crambidae) Jochen Möhr

Schizura unicornis (Lep.: Notodontidae) Jochen Möhr

Agrotis vancouverensis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Stenoporpia excelsaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Scopula quinquelinearia (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Leucoma salicis (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae) Jochen Möhr

Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Male Malacosoma californicum (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)

Jochen Möhr

 Male Malacosoma californicum (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)   Jochen Möhr

Gabriola dyari (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Nemoria darwiniata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.:  Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

   More of those soldier beetles, from Gordon Hart:

Red Soldier Beetles Rhagonycha fulva (Col.: Cantharidae) Gordon Hart

2019 July 10

Jeremy Tatum writes:

  It didn’t take long for some of yesterday’s unidentified insects to get identified, thanks to Libby Avis, Scott Gilmore, Gordon Hart, and Cheryl Hoyle on one of her own photographs.   Here is what we have so far:

   This one is Coccinella septempunctata.  I should have got that one myself, but one of its septem puncta is very small and misled me!

Coccinella septempunctata (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   This one is the bug Eurygaster amerinda.  There is just one small point nagging at me.  E. amerinda is a

North American species, so that’s probably what it is.  There is, however, a very similar European

species, E. testudinaria, and, to my entirely untutored eye,Cheryl’s photograph looks slightly more like

the European insect than the native North American one.  We do, of course, have lots of

European insects and other organisms here, though I don’t know if there are North American records of

testudinaria.   Cheryl sends a second photograph of it, not quite as sharp as yesterday’s, but it does

show a more dorsal view:

Eurygaster amerinda (Hem.: Scutelleridae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   The greenbottle is probably Lucilia sericata:

Lucilia sericata (Dip.: Calliphoridae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   Libby, Scott and Gordon all came up with Rhagonycha fulva for the soldier beetle, and, for good

 measure, Cheryl came up with a second photograph of two of them in copula:

Rhagonycha fulva (Col.: Cantharidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   I didn’t think anyone would be able to identify the very small beetle that Cheryl photographed

 yesterday, but I had greatly underestimated local expertise.   Libby, Scott and Cheryl herself all put it in

the buprestid genus Agrilus.  I had no idea that any buprestids were that small.  Apparently the genus

Agrestis has the reputation of being the genus with the largest number (c3000) of species in the animal

kingdom, just as Coleoptera is the largest Order (“God is someone with an inordinate fondness for

beetles” – JBS Haldane)

Agrilus sp. (Col.: Buprestidae) Cheryl Hoyle

   The rest of yesterday’s unidentified insects is a work in progress.  We’ll post any more identifications if

and when we can.

2019 July 9 morning

   We open this morning with a miscellany of so far unidentified insects.  If any viewer can help with these please let us know. At this time of year, many of the experts are away on holiday.  If we make any progress with the identifications, we shall post what we find.

Layla Munger

We believe this is a fly of the Family Limoniidae (which some authors treat as a Subfamily Limoniinae of the crane flies Tipulidae).

Gordon Hart

Presumably a bumblebee of the genus Bombus.  While we would have liked to see more of the body from the side, this one will surely give someone an opportunity to try to identify it from its wing venation. [See July 11]

Cheryl Hoyle

This is a bush cricket, or katydid, of the Family Tettigoniidae.  I don’t think it is in its final instar, so it may be difficult to identify further.

Cheryl Hoyle

I believe this is a soldier beetle of the Family Cantharidae.  It is hiding its head, which may make it hard to pin down to species. [See July 10 morning]

Cheryl Hoyle

I wasn’t sure when I first saw it whether this is a bug or a beetle, but now I’m pretty sure it’s a bug.  I think I can see its rostrum. [See July 10 morning]

Cheryl Hoyle

I would call this a greenbottle fly, of the genus Lucilia.  The tiny speck near its middle leg looks like a small aphid.  The other small insect near the circumference of the yellow inner part of the flower is a thrips. [See July 10 morning]

Cheryl Hoyle

I think I can safely say that this is a beetle.  I’d be very impressed if anyone can go further. [See July 10 morning]

Cheryl Hoyle

I believe this is the pupa of a ladybeetle (Coccinellidae).  Which one?

Cheryl Hoyle

I ought to know this one, but I don’t!  Do you call them ladybugs or ladybirds?  Since they are obviously neither bugs nor birds, perhaps we should just call them ladybeetles.  (Or gentleman beetles for the males?) [See July 10 morning]

   So much for the unknown ones.  I think we know the ones below a little better.

Yellow-faced Bumblebee Bombus vosnesenskii (Hym.: Apidae) Layla Munger

      Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

1 Choristoneura rosaceana

2 Biston betularia

1 Callizzia amorata

1 Drepana arcuata

1 Eulithis xylina

1 Lacinipolia strigicollis

1 Leucania dia

1 Nadata gibbosa

1 Panthea virginarius

2 Sicya crocearia

3 Stenoporpia excelsaria

Choristoneura rosaceana (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Jochen Möhr

Hesperumia sulphuraria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Leucania dia (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Stenoporpia excelsaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2019 July 8

   It seems that the recent rain brought out the slugs. Rebecca Reader-Lee writes: I went to Botanical Beach with my family on Friday, July 5th and, while we were there, I found a small (no more than 5cm long) slug crawling down a tree next to the path.  Jeremy Gatten writes that he believes it is a Scarletback Taildropper Prophysaon vanattae.

Scarletback Taildropper Prophysaon vanattae (Pul.: Arionidae)

Rebecca Reader-Lee

   Gordon Hart sends photographs of a dragonfly and a bumblebee.  Thanks to Dr Rob Cannings for confirming the  identity of the former as a male Blue-eyed Darner, and to Annie Pang for confirming the latter as a Western Bumblebee.

Male Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Gordon Hart

Western Bumblebee Bombus occidentalis (Hym.: Apidae)  Gordon Hart

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

1 Autographa californica

1 Callizzia amorata

2 Eulithis xylina

1 Homorthodes hanhami

1 Nadata gibbosa

1 Neoalcis californiaria

1 Perizoma costiguttata

1 Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides

1 Scopula quinquelinearia

1 Aseptis binotata

Leucania dia (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Homorthodea hanhami (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Aseptis binotata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Autographa californica (Lep.:  Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides (Lep.: Drepanidae – Thyatirinae)

  Jochen Möhr

Scopula quinquelinearia  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Gordon Hart writes that a Painted Lady was seen at home on Thursday July 4, along with the usual Lorquin’s Admirals, Cabbage Whites and Western Tiger Swallowtails.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart.

   Gordon also sends a photograph of a bee, kindly identified by Annie Pang as Bombus melanopygus.

Bombus melanopygus (Hym.: Apidae)  Gordon Hart

   Rosemary Jorna writes:   This fly was at the top of Todd Hill in the Sooke Hills today, June 8:

Probably Peleteria malleola (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a Red Admiral caterpillar found today on Lochside Trail just south of Lohbrunner’s.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy Tatum writes that there were three Painted Ladies, a Western Tiger Swallowtail, and a Red Admiral on the MountTolmie reservoir this evening.  I believe that this, and the caterpillar above, are the first Red Admirals reported to Invert Alert this year.