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.

December 7

2020 December 7

 

   Birdwatchers have recently been watching a rare (in this area) bird – a Black Phoebe – in Central Saanich.  It was watched snatching insects from a pond by Keith Taylor, who obtained the accompanying photograph.  One can see clearly that its prey is an aquatic bug – either a Water Boatman (Corixidae) or a Backswimmer (Notonectidae).   This is a good opportunity to mention that so far we have had very few photographs of aquatic insects on this site.

 

Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans (Pas.: Tyrannidae)

with either a water boatman (Hem.: Corixidae)

or a backswimmer (Hem.: Notonectidae)

Keith Taylor

   Here’s a recent photograph of a spider from Colquitz River Park, by Ian Cooper:

 


Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae)  Ian Cooper

 

    Jochen Möhr sends photographs from Metchosin of difficult Drepanulatrix and Operophtera moths.  For the Drepanulatrix I think we’ll have to be content with Drepanulatrix monicaria/secundaria.  Likewise we’ll label the Operophteras as Operophtera brumata/occidentalis, although, writes Jeremy Tatum, I’m close to certain that they are both brumata, with a very slender chance that they might have a little bit of occidentalis in their genes.

 

 


Drepanulatrix monicaria/secundaria (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

 


Operophtera brumata/occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

 


Operophtera brumata/occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr