2021 February 27

   Two small spiders in today’s offering.  One from a maple in Rosemary Jorna’s Kemp Lake garden.  One from the Galloping Goose 9km site in View Royal, by Ian Cooper.  In spite of their tiny size,  Dr Robb Bennett was able to make a good stab at their identifications.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  More good stuff to come when I get a moment!

“Theridion” species group (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Just possibly Wubana sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae – Erigoninae)  Ian Cooper

2021 February 26

   Slugs and snails from Colquitz River Park and the Galloping Goose Trail, by Ian Cooper:

Possibly Ambigolimax valentianus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

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

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

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

… and a leatherjacket:

Leatherjacket (crane fly) probably Tipula paludosa (Dip.: Tipulidae)

Ian Cooper

2021 February 22

   Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  This morning finally!  After a night with 7 °C, three Egira hiemalis at the wall.

Egira hiemalis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Jeremy Tatum writes:  “Lepidoptera” means “scale wings” – and you can see why from this photo!

Here are some more small creatures from the Galloping Goose Trail photographed by Ian Cooper.  First a small (4 mm) spider – two images of the same individual:

Spider (Ara.:  Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

Spider (Ara.:  Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

   Next, two (different) harvestmen:

Harvestman – Probably Protolophus sp. (Opiliones)   Ian Cooper

Harvestman – possibly Paroligolophus agrestis (Opiliones)   Ian Cooper

  We have not been able to identify the spider or harvestmen above.  We have not been able to identify the Order of the creature below, though we believe it to be the larva of some sort of fly (Diptera). If anyone can help, please do so!

Fly larva (Diptera)  Ian Cooper

2021 February 20

   More springtails from Ian Cooper, kindly identified for us by Dr Frans Janssens.   Most of us rarely see these tiny animals, so it is quite an education to see them so close up.

Globose springtail Ptenothrix sp. nov.  (Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae)  Ian Cooper

Dicyrtomina minuta f. saundersi  (Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae)  Ian Cooper

Dicyrtomina minuta f. saundersi  (Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae)  Ian Cooper

   And here are two spiders.   Among the numerous small creatures we come across, we cannot always identify every one, and we’ll have to settle with admiring and appreciating these two without necessarily being able to attach a label to them.

Linyphiine spider     Ian Cooper

Immature male spider   Ian Cooper

   Rosemary  Jorna photographed this gnat on a maple in her Kemp Lake garden.  I am not expert enough, writes Jeremy Tatum, to make an identification, but I think it is probably either a limoniine tipulid (a sort of small crane fly) or a trichocerid (winter gnat).

Dip.: probably Tipulidae – Limoniinae,  or Trichoceridae  Rosemary Jorna

   Caterpillars are easier for me to identify.  This one, on Indian Plum, is Paraseptis adnixa – first shown as a very young caterpillar on February 8, now almost full grown, perhaps one more instar to go.

Paraseptis adnixa (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Tatum

2021 February 21

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is one of a number of commensal creatures that share my table (Latin mensa, a table) with me – or at least share my apartment building in Saanich if not my actual table.

Anthrenus verbasci (Col.: Dermestidae)   Jeremy Tatum