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.

March 28

2017 March 28

 

  Butterflies!   None have yet been reported direct to Invert Alert, but Gordon Hart tells me that three Cabbage Whites have been reported to the BC Butterfly Group:  James Miskelly on March 15 in Saanich;  Michael Bentley on March 20 in Central Saanich; and Peter Boon on the Lochside trail on March 22.

 

  Rebecca Reader-Lee sends a photograph of a spider that has been hanging around on the ceiling of her house in the North Highlands for a while.  The picture below was taken on March 11, but she sees the spider pretty much daily.   Thanks to Robb Bennett for identifying it as a species of Philodromus of the family Philodromidae.  These are known as “running crab spiders”, or simply as “philodromid crab spiders”, and are only distantly related to “the” crab spiders (Thomisidae).

 

“Running crab spider”   Philodromus sp. (Ara.: Philodromidae) 

Rebecca Reader-Lee

 

 

 

   Jeremy Gatten has successfully identified Bill Katz’s micro moth shown on March 24.  I’ll let viewers scroll down to see what it was!   He also writes:  “I was shocked at how many moths were around lights at a couple of places in Metchosin (Metchosin Community Hall and Hans Helgesen Elementary School).  I haven’t seen that much at the community hall in the past, but it was happening there on Saturday!  I had: Egira hiemalis, Egira crucialis, Lithophane pertorrida, Lithophane innominata, Orthosia praeses, Orthosia pacifica, Acerra normalis, Pleromelloida conserta, Eupithecia ravocostaliata, Eupithecia annulata, Hydriomena nubilofasciata, Hydriomena manzanita, Phigalia plumogeraria, Venusia obsoleta (or pearsalli, but they might be synonyms apparently), and Acleris sp.  At the elementary school, I had: Egira hiemalis, Egira crucialis, Orthosia praeses, Orthosia hibisci, Acerra normalis, Feralia deceptiva, Eupithecia ravocostaliata, Eupithecia annulata, possibly 1 or 2 more Eupithecia spp. (olivacea might be one), Hydriomena nubilofasciata, Hydriomena manzanita, Venusia obsoleta (same disclaimer as above), Xanthorhoe defensaria.  So, as you can see, there is a lot around right now!”