2024 June 19 morning

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  No Invertebrate Alerts for June 17 and 18!  Sorry ‘bout that!  In case you are wondering, there were actually no submissions on June 17.  On June 18, unfortunately, I had so many appointments of one sort or another that day that I just couldn’t quite find the time or energy.  Back to normal today, I think.

I didn’t see any butterflies yesterday (June 18), but I had ample compensation in seeing a sesiiid (clearwing) moth in Swan Creek Park – almost certainly Synanthedon bibionipennis.  Sesiids are always excitng to see.

Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed this beetle along Richmond Road on June 17.  Although it doesn’t seem to have particularly long “horns”, it is nevertheless in the Family of Long-horned Beetles, Cerambycidae.  We don’t know the exact species.

Long-horned beetle (Col.:  Cerambycidae)    Marie O’Shaughnessy

Marie photographed this menacing-looking robber fly at Island View Beach on June 18.  Don’t sit too close to your computer screen in case it flies out and jumps on you.  Dr Rob Cannings identifies it as Laphria sp.

Robber Fly Laphria sp. (Dip.: Asilidae)      Marie O’Shaughnessy

In answer to Marie’s question:  Is that fly rather nasty/dangerous?,  Dr Cannings writes:

Robber flies are harmless to humans. They sometimes land on an arm or a leg or a back, but that’s only a perch for them. However, if you grab one in your hand, say, when removing one from a net, the larger ones can bite in self defence. I have had Efferia individuals bite me – it hurts, like the bite of a notonectid backswimmer (if you’ve ever had that happen to you – again, a self-defence bite).

As you know, the bite is actually an injection (through the proboscis) of proteolytic enzymes that kill insect prey. This saliva dissolves muscles and organs and the soup is sucked up through the proboscis. Thus, a small amount under your skin will sting a bit as the nerves are affected.

Also at Island View Beach, Marie photographed this Lorquin’s Admiral:

 Lorquin’s Admiral  Limenitis lorquini  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Val George writes:   This moth, Spargania magniolata, was on the wall of the Nature House at Goldstream Park today, June 18.

Spargania magniolata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Val George

And this moth, which ecloded (emerged) from its pupa yesterday, was reared from a caterpillar that fed on the leaves of the Armenian Blackberry.  It was released near Blenkinsop Lake.

Aseptis binotata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2024 June 16

   James Miskelly photographed this extraordinary caterpillar at Rocky Point on June 7:

Nemoria darwiniata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   James Miskelly

Aziza Cooper writes:   Yesterday, June 15, three species of butterfly were at Government House: two Western Tiger Swallowtails and one each of Lorquin’s Admiral and Cabbage White.   Jeremy Tatum writes:  You are doing better than me (or should that be I?)  I wandered around Uplands Park for an hour or so today, June 16, and I didn’t see any butterflies at all, not even a Cabbage White.   Culicids, however, were there in abundance.  How are other observers doing?

2024 June 15

On June 14, Marie O’Shaughnessy reported that, because of cool weather, butterflies and dragonflies were scarce.  Thus, at McIntyre reservoir she found only two Cabbage Whites, one Cardinal Meadowhawk, one California Darner, plus 11 damselflies.  She saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail along Bowker Creek.  June 15 has been cool and windy; in spite of that, Gordon Hart saw a Pale Tiger Swallowtail in the Highlands today.

Gordon photographed this bright green grasshopper at Uplands Park, June 13.  James Miskelly writes:  That’s a nymph of Melanoplus bivittatus. It’s common in Melanoplus for species that are brown as adults to have nymphs that are green.

Melanoplus bivittatus  (Orth.: Acrididae)  Gordon Hart

Val George writes :  This beautiful, pristine Ceanothus Silkmoth, Hyalophora euryalus, was on the wall of the Nature House at Swan Lake today, June 15. One of the staff there said it had been there for two days.

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalus  (Lep.:  Saturniidae)  Val George

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalus  (Lep.:  Saturniidae)  Val George

2024 June 14

  Submitting photographs to Invertebrate Alert.  It would be very helpful if PC-contributors would submit photographs as attachments with .jpg or .jpeg extension.  [I hate to put it another way, but it is quite time-consuming and a lot of work when photographs are submitted otherwise!]   This note applies to PC-users.  Only a few are using Macs – please carry on doing it the way you are doing at present.

Also, I must ask contributors to limit themselves to sixpixmax – i.e no more than six pictures from a single contributor per day.  Thank you all!

    Gordon Hart reports a Western Tiger Swallowtail from Uplands Park, June 13.  Geoffrey Newall saw two Sheep Moths there on the same day.

Val George reports the first Red Admiral this year from Mount Douglas, June 13.  Also, there were four Painted Ladies and two or three Pale Tiger Swallowtails.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Val George

Marie O’Shaughnessy writes from Swan Lake, June 12:  Three Cardinal Meadowhawks, two were in tandem and hiding out of the wind.  Two Common Green Darners that wouldn’t hover, just patrolled continuously.  One female Blue Dasher.  Also, there was a very worn Mourning Cloak and a brief visit from a Western Tiger Swallowtail.

 Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum  (Odo.: Libellulidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy

Female Blue Dasher  Pachydiplax longipennis  (Odo.  Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Ian Cooper photographed this spider spotted on a tree trunk on June 13 in View Royal.  Dr Robb Bennett agrees that it is a species of Cybaeus, possibly C. signifer, but he can’t be certain of the species.

Cybaeus sp. (possibly signifer)   Ian Cooper

2024 June 13

Aziza Cooper photographed this damselfly at McIntyre reservoir, June 12.  Thanks to Dr Rob Cannings for the identification as a young male Tule Bluet that hasn’t yet developed its blue colour.

Tule Bluet Enallagma carunculatum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Aziza Cooper

More overnight photographs from Ian Cooper.  All were taken at *Colquitz River Park in Saanich and the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal between 3:00 am and dawn this morning, June 13.

Ian says the first spider below hunts woodlice but (writes Jeremy Tatum) I think it’s a man-eater. Viewers are warned not to sit too close to their computer screens, in case the spider jumps out and seizes you.

*Woodlouse Hunter Spider – Dysdera crocata  (Ara.: Dysderidae)   Ian Cooper

*Enoplognatha ovata (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Ian Cooper

#Male Running crab spider – Philodromus dispar (Ara.: Philodromidae)  Ian Cooper

#European Sowbug – Oniscus asellus (Isopoda: Oniscidae)  Ian Cooper

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

#Unidentified Nematoceran fly (Diptera)  Ian Cooper