2018 September 20 morning

 

   Seems this is a spidery time of year.   Two from Lantzville photographed by Scott Gilmore, and one in Victoria by Aziza Cooper.   Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for the identifications.

  Of this one, Robb  writes:  This is one of our common agelenid house spiders but I’m not sure if it is a Tegenaria domestica or a juvenile Eratigena duellica.

Tegenaria domestica or Eratigena duellica (Ara.: Agelenidae)

Scott Gilmore

Female Steatoda (perhaps albomaculata) (Ara.: Theridiidae) Scott Gilmore

 

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Gordon Hart sends a photograph of a dragonfly from Panama Flats, Deptember 15.   Thanks to Dr Rob Cannings for the identification.  Rob writes:  This is a very nice picture of a male Aeshna umbrosa. The most obvious character in this photo is the lack of a strong black line across the face, as seen in A. palmata. In addition, the lateral thoracic stripes are bordered in black (not so obvious here), the abdominal spots are relatively small (takes practice) and, if you could see it better, the top of the tenth abdominal segment is black, not with blue spots as in A. palmata.  Also, if you could see the ventral surface of the abdomen, there would be paired pale spots on the segments, absent in A. palmata.

Shadow Darner Aeshna umbrosa (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Gordon Hart

 

   Barb McGrenere sends a photograph of a caterpillar from a blueberry plant in her Cordova Bay garden, September 19.

Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Barb McGrenere

 

   Mark Wynja writes:  On September 18th I spotted a road-killed Praying Mantis on Edwards Road at the end of Dawson Road, Nanoose. I stopped to check it out and almost immediately another one nearly flew into me. It landed in the tall grass along a wire fence allowing me to catch it easily.  A nearby homeowner told me his wife found one a couple weeks ago on their property.

Praying Mantis Mantis (probably religiosa) (Man.: Mantidae) Mark Wynja

 

Cheryl Hoyle sends a photograph of a Chocolate Arion Slug from Glendale Trail taken September 19^th.

 

 

Chocolate Arion Arion rufus  (Pul.:  Arionidae) Cheryl Hoyle

 

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a moth from Metchosin.  Libby Avis writes:  Safe to say “Xestia infimatimis species group”, but I can’t go beyond that. There are three species in the group which are very similar – X. finatimis, X. infimatis and X. verniloides.

 

Xestia finatimis group (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr