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.

November 25

2020 November 25

 

   Amazing butterfly sighting! –  from Mr E, behind Red Barn Grocers in Oak Bay today, November 25.   On the very rare occasions that Monarchs appear here, we are never sure of their provenance – are they genuine wild butterflies, or have they been released at a wedding or something?   Probably at least some of them are wild, but at this time of year, when western populations of Monarchs would be expected to be wintering in California, the provenance of this Oak Bay specimen must be at least slightly suspect!  There is some information about commercially-reared Monarchs in an article by Annie Pang in the November-December 2011 issue of the Victoria Naturalist.

 

Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Danainae)  Mr E

 

November 23 evening

 

2020 November 23 evening

 

   More from Colquitz River Park from Ian Cooper:

 

Dark-bodied Glass Snail Oxychilus draparnaudi (Pul.: Daubebariidae )  Ian Cooper

Harvestman. Probably Paroligolophus agrestis (Opi.: Phalangiidae)  Ian Cooper

Male Common Earwig. Forficula auricularia (Derm.: Forficulidae)  Ian Cooper


Lauria cylindracea (Pul.: Lauriidae)  Ian Cooper

Probably Ambigolimax valentianus (Pul.: Limacidae) Ian Cooper

 

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ian Cooper

 

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 

8 Erannis sp.

1 Operophtera brumata

No pics taken.

 

 

November 23 morning

2020 November 23 morning

 

More pictures from Colquitz River Park by Ian Cooper:

 

The spiders were identified by Dr Robb Bennett

 


Clubiona (just possibly lutescens) (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper


Clubiona (just possibly lutescens) (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper


Bathyphantes sp.(Ara.: Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

   The springtail was identified to genus by Dr Frans Janssens; views from other angles would be needed to go to species:

 


Ptenothrix sp. (Collembola – Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae)

Ian Cooper

Dr Robert Forsyth identifies the slug below as one of the Arion subfuscus aggregate

Arion subfuscus agg. (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Maybe Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

 

November 22

2020 November 22

 

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 

2 Epirrita autumnata

7 Erannis sp.

1 Operophtera brumata 

 

Here are photographs of four of the male Erannis, and also a female Erannis by Donna Dupas.

Male Erannis vancouverensis/defoliaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

Male Erannis vancouverensis/defoliaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Male Erannis vancouverensis/defoliaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Male Erannis vancouverensis/defoliaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 

Female Erannis vancouverensis/defoliaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Donna Dupas

 

November 20

2020 November 20

 

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 

2 Epirrita autumnata

2 Erannis defoliaria/vancouverensis

4 Operophtera brumata

 


Erannis defoliaria/vancouverensis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

     Ian Cooper’s photographs of tiny snails from Colquitz River Park.   We think they are probably Lauria cylindracea, but we can’t be absolutely certain.

 

Probably Lauria cylindracea (Pul.: Lauriidae) Ian Cooper

Probably Lauria cylindracea (Pul.: Lauriidae) Ian Cooper

Probably Lauria cylindracea (Pul.: Lauriidae) Ian Cooper

Probably Lauria cylindracea (Pul.: Lauriidae) Ian Cooper

Probably Lauria cylindracea: (Pul.: Lauriidae) Ian Cooper