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.

March 21

2016 March 21

 

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a rough stink bug Brochymena sp. from his Saanich apartment.

 

Brochymena sp.: (Hem.: Pentatomidae)   Jeremy Tatum

 

 

   Scott Gilmore writes, from Upper Lantzville:  At the beach on Saturday (March 19) there were flies everywhere on the rocks at low tide. I decided to investigate. With the help of John Carr they were identified as being from the genus Oedoparena from the family Dryomyzidae. Turns out the larval stage of these flies eat barnacles which explains the location. There are three species world wide with two of them in North America, one of which is known from Canada. That along with a few features led me to conclude that it fits with the descriptions of Oedoparena glauca. There are not too many marine insects!   If you want to know more (or even too much) about this crazy group this is a pretty good article

 

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/56140

 

 Oedoparena glauca  (Dip.: Dryomyzidae)   Scott Gilmore

Oedoparena glauca  (Dip.: Dryomyzidae)   Scott Gilmore