INVERTEBRATE ALERT
This blog provides an informal forum for terrestrial invertebrate watchers to post recent sightings of interesting observations in the southern Vancouver Island region. Please send your sightings by email to Jeremy Tatum (tatumjb352@gmail.com). Be sure to include your name, phone number, the species name (common or scientific) of the invertebrate you saw, location, date, and number of individuals. If you have a photograph you are willing to share, please send it along. Click on the title above for an index of past sightings.The index is updated most days.

April 16 morning

2020 April 16 morning

 

   Egira crucialis/simplex is a pair of spring “woodling” moths that are awfully difficult to distinguish.  Below are some recent photographs from Jochen Möhr in Metchosin and Peter Boon in Nanaimo which have had myself (Jeremy Tatum) and Libby Avis as well as Jochen and Peter working hard at it.  The labels I have attached to the photographs below are the “most probable” identifications, and perhaps not 100 percent certain.  Moth-ers are encouraged to continue to send photographs of these species.  Maybe eventually we’ll  learn to distinguish them with more confidence.

 


Egira simplex (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr


Egira simplex (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr


Egira crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr


Egira crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Peter Boon

Left  Egira crucialis (we think!)

Right Egira simplex (we think!)

(Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

    Jochen also reports a comma from Metchosin yesterday.  Alas, the commas are no easier to identify than crucialis/simplex!