2020 October 18

   Ron Flower photographed this snail at Cowichan Lake a couple of weeks ago while gathering Chanterelle mushrooms.  Robert Forsyth tells us that the snail is Vespericola columbianus, and Bill Savale tells us that the mushroom is Cantharellus cibarius.

 Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)  Ron Flower

    Here follow some recent photographs by Ian Cooper from Colquitz Creek Park.  The first is the same species as the probable limoniine shown in yesterday’s posting:

Unidentified (Dip.:  Limoniinae?)   Ian Cooper

Drumming Katydid Meconema thalassina (Orth.: Tettigoniidae)  Ian Cooper

Porcellio scaber (Isopoda:  Porcellionidae)  Ian Cooper

 Ambigolimax valentianus (Pul.: Limacidae) Ian Cooper

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning (no pics taken):

1 Agrochola purpurea

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Epirrita autumnata 

5 Orthosia mys

1 Platyptilia carduidactylus

1 Sunira decipiens

1 Tetracis sp. 

2020 October 17

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

2 Drepanulatrix sp.

4 Orthosia mys

1 Platyptilia carduidactylus

1 Tetracis sp. 

Orthosia mys (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Tetracis sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Platyptilia carduidactylus (Lep.: Pterophoridae)  Jochen Möhr

    Next is an interesting harvestman.  Thanks to Dr Philip Bragg for identifying it, and congratulations to Ian Cooper for persisting over several nights in getting the photographs at Colquitz River Park.   Dr Bragg writes:  The latest set of photos are excellent. No single photo showed everything I wanted to see but together I feel fairly confident in identifying the harvestman as Oligolophus tridens – – a European import. Ian’s initial photo showed a trident on the front of the carapace and spines on the ocular tubercle suggestive of Oligolophinae. Later photos were not clear enough to be sure about this but the current set support the initial suggestion. The trident is quite clear in one of the photos showing the harvestman eating some carrion. The pattern on the body is typical of O. tridens.

Oligolophus tridens  (Opiliones: Phalangiidae – Oligolophinae)  Ian Cooper

Oligolophus tridens  (Opiliones:  Phalangiidae – Oligolophinae )  Ian Cooper

Oligolophus tridens  (Opiliones:  Phalangiidae – Oligolophinae )  Ian Cooper

Oligolophus tridens  (Opiliones:  Phalangiidae – Oligolophinae )  Ian Cooper

   Another invertebrate that Ian photographed at Colquitz River Park is this nematoceran fly.  Not sure what it is yet.  Probably Tipulidae or Trichoceridae.  Most likely tipulid subfamily Limoniinae (sometimes treated as a full family, Limoniidae).

Unidentified (Dip.:  Limoniinae?)   Ian Cooper

2020 October 16

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Mechosin this morning:

2 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Eupithecia sp.

1 Epirrita autumnata

2 Orthosia mys

1 Sunira decipiens

Sunira decipiens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 October 14

   Here are a snail, a slug and a bug photographed by Ian Cooper from Colquitz River Park:

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

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

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

Western Conifer Seed Bug  Leptoglossum occidentalis (Hem.: Coreidae)  Ian Cooper

  Ian also has a video of a woodlouse – probably Oniscus asellus – which can be reached by clicking on

https://tinyurl.com/y5ukvnut    (or try ctrl + click).