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.

August 24

2020 August 24

 

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 

4 Eulithis xylina

5 Neoalcis californiaria 

1 Noctua pronuba 

4 Perizoma curvilinea 

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

1 Zenophleps lignicolorata

 

 


Zenophleps lignicolorata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 

      Sher Falls sends a photograph of a water scorpion from  a freshwater pond at Qualicum Beach.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one out of water like this – though they can fly when they have a mind to, which is not very often.  We have had very few photographs of aquatic invertebrates on this site – photographers please note!

 

Water scorpion Ranatra fusca (Hem.: Nepidae)  Sher Falls

 

 

 

August 23 morning

2020 August 23 morning

 

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 

1 Campaea perlata

2 Eulithis xylina

5 Eupithecia sp

2 Neoalcis californiaria

1 Noctua pronuba 

3 Perizoma curvilinea 

1 Adelphagrotis indeterminata

 

   The last of these, shown below, is a new moth for this site.



Adelphagrotis indeterminata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

Last evening Gordon Hart saw about 20 Neoalcis californiaria  around his Highlands property.

August 22 afternoon

2020 August 22 afternoon

 

   Rosemary Jorna photographed this fly near Kemp Lake, August 21.  Identified for us by Dr Jeff Skevington.



Meliscaeva cinctella (Dip.: Syrphidae)   Rosemary Jorna

 

 


Meliscaeva cinctella (Dip.: Syrphidae)   Rosemary Jorna

 

   Jochen Möhr reports that after a gap of two days,  the Pine Whites are out in full force – he saw eight as soon as he stepped out on to his balcony in Metchosin, as well as four Woodland Skippers.

 

  Ian Cooper sends photographs of a Woodland Skipper and a spittle bug:

 

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Spittle Bug  Philaenus spumarius (Hem,: Cercopidae)  Ian Cooper

August 22 morning

 

2020 August 22 morning

 

   Here are a harvestman (kindly identified for us by Dr Philip Bragg) and a robber fly (kindly identified for us by  Dr Rob Cannings), photographed by Ian Cooper:

 


Phalangium opilio (Opi.: Phalangiidae)  Ian Cooper


Phalangium opilio (Opi.: Phalangiidae)  Ian Cooper

   The harvestman was seen to be eating pollen from the thistle.


Neomochtherus willistoni (Dip.: Asilidae)   Ian Cooper

   Two moths from Gordon Hart in the Highlands:

 

 


Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Gordon Hart

Unknown geometrid (Lep.: Geometridae)  Gordon Hart

    Three snails from the Kemp Lake area, from Rosemary Jorna:

 

 


Monadenia fidelis (Pul.: Bradybaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna


Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)  Rosemary Jorna

feeding on a slime mould


Nearctula sp. (Pul.: Vertiginidae)  Rosemary Jorna

on the bark of Big Leaf Maple

   Jochen Möhr’s  moths from Metchosin last night:

 

1 Apamea amputatrix

3 Eupithecia sp

5 Eulithis xylina

1 Feltia jaculifera

1 Gabriola dyari

4 Neoalcis californiaria

1 Oligia divesta

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

 


Gabriola dyari (Lep.:  Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


Neoalcis californiaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


Feltia jaculifera (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr


Oligia divesta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 

  

 

August 21

2020 August 21

 

   The Daily Photo on page B6 of today’s Times-Colonist shows a good photograph of a “black and yellow fuzzy caterpillar”.   Users of this site will recognize it as a Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata.

 

   Ian Cooper sends photographs of a bee, kindly identified by Claudia Copley and by Matthias Buck as a megachilid Resin Bee Dianthidium sp.   This is in the same Family as the leafcutter bees, although apparently it does not share the leaf-cutting and construction habits of other  members of the Family.

 


Dianthidium sp. (Hym.: Megachilidae)  Ian Cooper


Dianthidium sp. (Hym.: Megachilidae)  Ian Cooper


Dianthidium sp. (Hym.: Megachilidae)  Ian Cooper

   Ian also sends a photograph of a Lorquin’s Admiral:

 

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Ian Cooper

     Jeremy Tatum writes:  The caterpillar below, shown before on August 19, is now fully grown and posed for a photograph today.  Found on Salmonberry at Blinkhorn Lake.

 


Acronicta impleta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 

1 Enypia venata

1 Eulithis xylina

4 Neoalcis californiaria

1 Sabulodes aegrotata

1 Nemoria darwiniata

 


Enypia venata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


Sabulodes aegrotata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Two moths from Gordon Hart in the Highlands.  On August 18 Gordon counted 20 Neoalcis californiaria.

 


Udea profundalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Gordon Hart


Sicya crocearia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Gordon Hart