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.

January 4

2021 January 4

 

    Ian Cooper continues with his efforts to find strange creatures of which many of us are unaware by searching along the Galloping Goose trail in pouring rain in the middle of the night.  Here is a strange, flat Bark Crab Spider, identified by Ian and confirmed by Dr Robb Bennett, as Bassaniana utahensis.  Dare I say it – although it may look fierce, its Bark is worse than its Bite.

 


Bassaniana utahensis (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Ian Cooper

 


Bassaniana utahensis (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Ian Cooper

 


Bassaniana utahensis (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Ian Cooper

 

 


Bassaniana utahensis (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Ian Cooper

 

   Also found by Ian, another snout mite:

 

Snout mite (Acari.: Bdellidae)  Ian Cooper