September 19 afternoon

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have posted pictures of these two rather different geometrid caterpillars recently, but I couldn’t resist photographing them again.  I wanted a lateral view of Rheumaptera undulata to show the broad white spiracular stripe,  which helps to identify the caterpillar.  And, while I thought my previous photograph of Biston betularia was of the full-grown caterpillar, it has continued to grow since then and is now about 7 cm (2 ¾ in) long. 

Scallop Shell Rheumaptera undulata (Lep.: Geomatridae)  Jeremy Tatum

Peppered Moth Biston betularia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2020 September 19 morning

   Apologies for no Invert Alerts for two days.  The problem was not no insects.  Quite the opposite – too many for me to process  – a nice problem to have!

   Some photographs from Ian Cooper, between September 05 – 10, 2020, on the Galloping Goose Trail between Seaton Street and Tillicum Road.    Dr Jeff Skevington tells us that both of the flies below are introduced species, Myathropa a recent arrival.

Syritta pipiens (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Ian Cooper

Myathropa florea (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Ian Cooper

Megachile perihirta  (Hym.: Megachilidae)  Ian Cooper

Bombus (possibly occidentalis)(Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

Bombus vosnesenskii (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

Honey Bee Apis mellifera (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

Probably Ceratina sp. (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin September 18 morning (no photographs):

1 Eupithecia sp

1 Dryotype opina

1 Ennomos magnaria

1 Feltia jaculifera  

4 Neoalcis californiaria

2 Noctua pronuba

3 Plemyria georgii

3 Pleromelloida cinerea

2 Xestia finatimis /infimatis complex

Judy Spearing tells us that she and Parks Staff found five caterpillars of Anise Swallowtail on Water Parsley Oenanthe sarmentosa  in Bow Park yesterday.  Anise Swallowtails have been so scarce in recent years that it is great news to hear of caterpillars in such a suburban locality.  Anise Swallowtail is partially double-brooded, so this will be a second brood of the year.  It is not unusual to find caterpillars in September or even later, and there is a good supply of Water Parsley in Bow Park for them to feed on, so the caterpillars stand a good chance of survival.  Viewers might like to keep a look out on Fennel – another favorite foodplant of this species.

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae) Jill Tuson

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae) Jill Tuson

   Libby Avis writes:  Went for a walk yesterday September 17th in a swampy area in the Alberni Valley. Found two caterpillars of Spiramater lutra on Bracken Pteridium aquilinum, about 100 yards apart. Both appeared to be feeding and were well camouflaged against the stem of the bracken.

Spiramater lutra (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Libby Avis

Spiramater lutra (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Libby Avis

Spiramater lutra (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Libby Avis

Spiramater lutra (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Libby Avis

Spiramater lutra (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Libby Avis

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs of a Jumping Bristletail  from Metchosin.   This is a hexapod (but not, in today’s classification, an insect) in the Order Microcoryphia.  In spite of the excellent quality of the photographs, I don’t know if we’ll be able to find anyone to identify it to species. I think the central caudal appendage is broken – it should be much longer.

Jumping bristletail (Microcoryphia)  Jochen Möhr

Jumping bristletail (Microcoryphia)  Jochen Möhr

   Jochen also sends a photograph of two crane flies, which I don’t think are the usual Tipula paludosa.

Crane flies (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jochen’s moths from Metchosin September 19 morning:

1 Agriphila straminella 

1 Emmelina monodactyla

5 Fishia illocata

1 Homorthodes furfurata 

4 Neoalcis californiaria 

1 Noctua pronuba 

2 Pleromelloida cinerea

1 Xestia finatimis/ infimatis complex

Homorthodes furfurata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Fishea illocata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Pleromelloida cinerea (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 September 16

   Jeremy Tatum shows a photograph of a caterpillar that he found yesterday on Hardhack at Rithet’s Bog.

Scallop Shell Rheumaptera undulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Drepanulatrix sp. 

1 Dryotype opina 

2 Ennomos magnaria

2 Lithomoia germana

1 Mythimna or Leucania sp.

2 Neoalcis californiaria

2 Noctua pronuba 

1 Sunira decipiens

1 Tetracis sp.

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria 

Ennomos magnaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Mythimna or Leucania sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Lithomoia germana (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Tetracis sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 September 15 afternoon

   Here are two pictures – an upperside and an underside – by Sharon Godkin of Nepytia phantasmaria,

floundering or even attempting to oviposit in the grass.

Nepytia phantasmaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Sharon Godkin

Nepytia phantasmaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Sharon Godkin

   Ian Cooper sends a photograph of a grasshopper – one of many species in the genus Melanoplus!

Melanoplus sp.  (Orth.: Acrididae)  Ian Cooper

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin his morning:

1 Euxoa sp.

1 Dryotype opina

1 Fishia illocata

1 Gazoryctra mathewi

1 Homorthodes sp.

1 Lacinipolia pensilis

1 Lacinipolia strigicollis

1 Lithomoia germana (same as previously)

2 Neoalcis californiaria

1 Noctua pronuba

6 Pleromelloida cinerea

1 Tetracis, probably pallulata

3 Xanthorhoe defensaria

 2 Xestia finatimis/ infimatis complex

Gazoryctra mathewi  (Lep.: Hepialidae)  Jochen Möhr

Fishea illocata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Fishea illocata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Euxoa sp (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Homorthodes sp Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 September 15 morning

Jeremy Tatum writes:

The name Hemlock Looper has been in the news recently, so I thought I’d try to figure out what is what.  In natural history circles we generally don’t give English names to caterpillars (“woolly bears” being a notable exception); we prefer to name a moth after its adult form.  Also, we generally don’t give special names to subspecies – or, if we do, we put the English subspecific names in “quotes”.   In forestry circles it is perhaps understandably more usual to name species after their caterpillars – hence the various “hemlock loopers”.  Following are the forestry English names and the scientific names of the various “hemlock loopers”:

Hemlock Looper                                               Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria

Western Hemlock Looper                               Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa

Western Oak Looper                                        Lambdina fiscellaria somniaria

False Hemlock Looper                                     Nepytia canosaria

Western False Hemlock Looper                     Nepytia freemani

Phantom Hemlock Looper                              Nepytia phantasmaria

Note the slight inconsistency in that in Lambdina  the word “Western” is used for a subspecies, whereas is Nepytia it is used for a full species.  It might be better to write Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa as the “Western” Hemlock Looper, to indicate that it is just a subspecies.

I don’t think we get Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria or Nepytia canosaria on Vancouver Island;  I am not sure about Nepytia freemani.  We certainly get Lambdina fiscellaria (presumably lugubrosa) and Nepytia phantasmaria on Vancouver Island.

The moth that we have been seeing a lot of on Vancouver Island in the last week or so is Nepytia phantasmaria.  The one that has been seen recently in large numbers on the Lower Mainland, and in today’s Times-Colonist, is Lambdina fiscellaria.

So far this year, Invertebrate Alert hasn’t received any reports of Lambdina fiscellaria.  This cannot last – I’m sure we’ll get some sightings soon.   I have never seen it in vast numbers near Victoria, but Ren Ferguson reported and photographed huge numbers of the caterpillars of this species on  oaks (and therefore presumably L.f. somniaria) on Salt Spring Island on 2011 September 13.

   In the meantime, here are a few invertebrates from the Galloping Goose Trail between the Switch Bridge junction and Tillicum Road, photographed by Ian Cooper, September 1 -10.

Yellow Woolly Bear Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: EDrebidae – Arctiinae)  Ian Cooper

 Crane Fly Tipula paludosa (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Ian Cooper

Harvestman Phalangium opilio (Opi.: Phalangiidae)  Ian Cooper

Pennisetia marginata (Lep.: Sesiidae) (Male on left)  Ian Cooper

Eristalis arbustorum/brousii (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Ian Cooper