2024 May 18

   More invertebrates from Ian Cooper.  Ian writes that most were photographed at Colquitz River Park in the last couple of days. The crane fly picture was taken by the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.

 Common striped woodlouse – Philoscia muscorum (Isopoda: Oniscidae)
Ian Cooper

Crane fly (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Ian Cooper

We are grateful to Scott Gilmore for the identification to genus of the click beetle below;

 Click beetle  Dalopius sp. (Col.: Elateridae)  Ian Cooper

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

Rugathodes sexpunctatus (Ara.: Theridiidae)   Ian Cooper

   We are grateful to Scott Gilmore for the identification to family of the bug below;

Dirt-coloured seed bug (Hem.: Rhyparochromidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 May 16

 More invertebrate photographs by Ian Cooper

 Ambigolimax valentianus (Pul.: Limacidae)   Ian Cooper

Snakefly – Agulla sp. (Raphidiidae)  Ian Cooper

Snakefly – Agulla sp. (Raphidiidae)  Ian Cooper

    Ian writes:   Passing this along because it’s an interesting scene: I spotted a crab spider approaching the snakefly on the blade of grass.. At a certain point, the two had an exchange of flinches, but there was no attempt to attack by the spider. The snakefly repositioned itself somewhat and the spider retreated. It may be that they were both simply startled by each others’ presence. It’s also possible that my efforts to get in closer to photograph them may have inadvertently disrupted the spider’s stalking.  I was relieved nothing came of it, except this and other photos!

Snakefly and spider encounter   Ian Cooper

Probably Culiseta sp.  (Dip.: Culicidae) Ian Cooper

Soil Centipede – Order Geophilomorpha       Ian Cooper

2024 May 15

   Jeremy Tatum reports two Painted Ladies on the top of Mount Douglas, and one Western Tiger Swallowtail on the top of Mount Tolmie this afternoon.  He writes that he is still not seeing a lot of butterflies.  “I have still not yet seen a comma this year.”

More middle-of-the-night invertebrates from Ian Cooper.  Dr Bennett writes of the spider in the first photograph below:  That’s a male philodromid crab spider. Probably Philodromus rufus but I will be conservative and stick with Philodromus sp.

Male Philodromus sp. (maybe rufus)  (Ara.: Philodromidae)  Ian Cooper

Ian writes of the next one:  Unidentified spider who resides in a hole in the bark of a conifer by the GG trail (possibly Cybaeus sp. (Ara.: Cybaeidae), or Callobius sp. (Ara.: Amaurobiidae) with a captured Theridiidae sp. (cobweb weaver).

See note above.    Ian Cooper

Unidentified ant  (Hym.: Formicidae)  Ian Cooper

Unidentified aphid (Hem.: Aphididae)  Ian Cooper

Dicyphus discrepans (Hem.: Miridae)  Ian Cooper

Protolophus sp. (Opiliones: Protolophidae)   Ian Cooper