2024 March 27 

 Ian Cooper recounts a little adventure he had with a wasp:  A wasp landed on my hand while I was in the kitchen a couple days ago. After my initial surprise, I managed to capture it in a jar with air holes in the lid and gave it a slice of apple to dine on. I then brought it along on yesterday’s pre-dawn photo shoot at Colquitz and View Royal and released it on to some flowers by the E&N Trail in Esquimalt once the sun was up on my way back into Victoria.

Polistes dominula (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

Polistes dominula (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

Polistes dominula (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

   Here are more of Ian Cooper’s invertebrate photographs, at *Colquitz River Park & the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal on March 26.

# Globose springtail (Coll.: Dicyrtomenidae)  Ian Cooper

Unidentified linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae) Ian Cooper

Clubiona sp. (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper

#Pimoa altioculata with egg sac (Ara.: Pimoidae)  Ian Cooper

Young Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

Non-biting midge  (Dip.: Chironomidae)  Ian Cooper

Unidentified early instar noctuid caterpillar (Lep.: Noctuidae) Ian Cooper

2024 March 23 evening

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a geometrid moth from Metchosin.  We have previously labelled this moth Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli, because we have been unable to distinguish between these two similar species.   Somewhat unexpectedly, Venusia obsoleta  has now been moved to another genus, and is now Nomenia obsoleta.  We are now in the difficult position that we cannot distinguish between two moths in different genera.  A further complication is that a third species, N. duodecimlieata is also a possibility,

According to MPG, male Venusia pearsalli have filiform (simple) antennae.  Unfortunately it does not say what the female antennae are like, nor do we know the sex of Jochen’s specimen, and we don’t see quite enough of the antennae to be sure what form they are.  MPG says the antennae (it doesn’t specify which sex) of Nomenia obsoleta are “apparently” unipectinate.

Nomenia /Venusia  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   And here is another selection of miscellaneous invertebrate from Ian Cooper:

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

*Ambigolimax valentianus (Pul.: Limacidae) Ian Cooper

   Thanks to Robert Forsyth for identification of the above slug, which I had originally mislabelled.

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

*Common Chrysalis Snail – Lauria cylindracea – (Pul.: Lauriidae)   Ian Cooper

*Springtail – Orchesella villosa (Coll.: Orchesellidae)   Ian Cooper

Unfortunately, we have not (yet) been able to identify the fly below.  If any viewer can help, please do so.

Unknown fly  (Diptera)  Ian Cooper

#Female linyphiid spider, possibly Neriene sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae)   Ian Cooper

#Female linyphiid spider, possibly Neriene sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae)   Ian Cooper

2024 March 23 morning

Some pre-dawn work by Ian Cooper from *Colquitz River Park and by the 9 km marker on the # Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.  We thank Dr Robb Bennett for the spider identifications.

#Female linyphiine spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)  Ian Cooper

*Female Cybaeus (probably signifer) (Ara.: Cybaeidae) Ian Cooper

*Immature male Clubiona  (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper

*Immature male theridiid (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Ian Cooper

#Female Pimoa altioculata (Ara.: Pimoidae)

Unidentified moth caterpillar (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Ian Cooper

Noctua pronuba  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

Jochen Möhr photographed this moth at his Metchosin home:

American Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitata  (Lep.: Geometridae)
Jochen Möhr

2024 March 21

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of this woodling moth that flew into his living room in Saanich last night.   Moths of the genus Egira are known as “woodling”moths.  They are largely western moths, and they are among the first noctuid moths to be seen in Spring.  Egira hiemalis is the earliest, usually appearing in February.  E. curialis (below) and others follow later.

Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum