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 5

2021 March 5

 

   Here are more slugs and snails from the Galloping Goose Trail, by Ian Cooper.

 


Arion sp. (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

 


Arion rufus (Pul.:  Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

 


Cryptomastix germana or Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)  Ian Cooper

 

 

   Ian also found there this chrysalis of a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.  We can’t tell for sure whether it is a Western or Pale Tiger.


Papilio rutulus or eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Ian Cooper

March 4

2021 March 4

 

   We have lots of similar species of tiny spiders in our area, and, like tortricid caterpillars and lots of other groups, we can’t always manage to identify them, so we’ll have to settle for this one, photographed along the Galloping Goose Trail on March 1 by Ian Cooper, as either a linyphiine linyphiid or perhaps a pimoid.

 

Linyphiinae or Pimoidae       Ian Cooper

 

  Spring hasn’t quite arrived yet, but Rosemary Jorna photographed two syrphids in her Kemp Lake garden  on March 3.  The first is a Narcissus Bulb Fly.  Thanks to Dr Jeff Skevington for identifying the second as probably Melangyna lasiophthalma , decribed by Jeff as a very early Spring species.

 

Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 


Melangyna lasiophthalma (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 


Melangyna lasiophthalma (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

March 2

2021 March 2

 

   Mr E sends photographs of a weevil, kindly identified by Scott Gilmore as an Obscure Root Weevil Sciopithes obscurus.  Photographs taken on March1, as were all photographs in this posting.

 

Obscure Root Weevil Sciopithes obscurus (Col.: Curculionidae)    Mr E

 

Obscure Root Weevil Sciopithes obscurus (Col.: Curculionidae)    Mr E

      Ian Cooper sends photographs of a snail and a slug from Colquitz River Park:


Lauria cylindracea (Pul.: Lauriidae) Ian Cooper


Brown Field Slug Deroceras panormitanum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)

And more slugs from the Galloping Goose Trail, View Royal:

 

Banana slug – Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper

A very young Arion hortensis agg. (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper


Cryptomastix germana or Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae) Ian Cooper

 

March 1

St David’s Day, 2021

 

   Mr E sends photographs of a tick and a termite from R.O. Bull Park in North Saanich, February 27.  Thanks to Dr. Robbin Lindsay for identifying the tick as an unfed male Ixodes pacificus.  The termite identification was slightly tricky.  The Families of termites can be distinguished according as to whether there are more than or fewer than 22 antennal segments.  Naturally, this one has exactly 22.  Nevertheless (writes Jeremy Tatum) Mr E and I believe this to be a dampwood termite Zootermopsis angusticollis – supported by finding it in a wet stump.   Termites were at one time in the Order Isoptera, though they are now joined with cockroaches (!) in the Order  Blattodea.

 

 


Ixodes pacificus (Ixodida:  Ixodidae)   Mr E


Ixodes pacificus (Ixodida:  Ixodidae)   Mr E


Ixodes pacificus (Ixodida:  Ixodidae)   Mr E


Zootermopsis angusticollis (Blattodea:  Archotermopsidae)  Mr E


Zootermopsis angusticollis (Blattodea:  Archotermopsidae)  Mr E

More stuff on the way tomorrow!

 

February 28

2021 February 28

 

A miscellany from the Galloping Goose Trail and Colquitz River Park by Ian Cooper, and from Rosemary Jorna in Kemp Lake.    Thanks, as ever, to Dr Robb Bennett, for help with the spiders, and to Dr Frans Janssens with the springtails.

 


Orchesella cincta (Coll.: Orchesellidae) Ian Cooper

 

Globose springtail (Coll.:  Symphypleona: Dicyrtomidae)   Ian Cooper

Probably Lauria cylindracea (Pul.:  Lauriidae)  Ian Cooper

Probably Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae) Ian Cooper

Male maybe Neriene sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)  Ian Cooper

Female maybe Neriene sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)  Ian Cooper

Wolf spider Pardosa (probably vancouveri) (Ara.: Lycosidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy  Tatum writes:   It is frustratingly close, but I can’t quite tell whether the gnat below is a small crane fly (Tipulidae) of the Subfamily Limoniinae, or a winter gnat of the Family Trichoceridae.

Dip.: Limoniinae or Trichoceridae   Rosemary Jorna