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.

September 18

2015 September 18

 

   Rosemary Jorna sends two photographs of a male Giant House Spider from Kemp Lake Road, September 16.

Male Giant House Spider Eratigena atrica (Ara.: Agelenidae) Rosemary Jorna

Male Giant House Spider Eratigena atrica (Ara.: Agelenidae) Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum photographed what he took to be an entirely different spider from Poplar Avenue, Saanich, on September 18.  Surprise! –  Thanks to Robb Bennett for telling us that it is almost certainly a female of the same species!  (Slight chance of its being a close relative E. agrestis). 

 

Female Giant House Spider Eratigena atrica (Ara.: Agelenidae) Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy Tatum writes that he saw another Banded Woolly Bear by the side of Martindale Road – we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the coming weeks.  More of a surprise, near the Garcia Nurseries was a penultimate instar caterpillar of a Painted Lady.  Unfortunately the caterpillar refused to uncurl for the photographer before press time, so we just see it curled up.  If there are caterpillars around just now, then there’s maybe a chance of seeing an adult during the October Butterfly walk (see September 17 posting).

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Jeremy Tatum