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.

2024 February 24

2024 February 24

  Another remarkable and varied selection of invertebrates by Ian Cooper, February 22, from *Colquitz River Park or #by7 the 9 km marker on the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.   The first is a nematode – a first for Invertebrate Alert.  Nematoda is a Phylum, divided into Classes, Orders, etc., so we are a long way from being able to identify this one to species!

 

Nematode (Phylum:  Nematoda)  Ian Cooper

# European Sowbug  Oniscus asellus (Isopoda: Oniscidae)   Ian Cooper

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

*Unidentified Harvestman (Opiliones)   Ian Cooper

# Forest Spider – Pimoa altioculata (Ara: Pimoidae)   Ian Cooper

# Linyphantes sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)   Ian Cooper

Ian writes: I see many impossibly small spiders like this who have built their delicate webs in the leaf litter. They’re so tiny, it seems futile to try photographing them, but they’re an integral part of the forest floor ecosystem nevertheless.