INVERTEBRATE ALERT
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.

April 14

2020April 14

 

   Jochen Möhr reports seeing several Sara Orangetips and Western Spring Azures near his Metchosin home on April 13.

 

  Gordon Hart writes  from the Highlands: April 13, I saw my first Western Spring Azure of the year, as well as a California Tortoiseshell and a Green Comma.

 

  Barb McGrenere writes from the Cordova Bay area, April 13:  This morning, one Cabbage White flew through our backyard.  And around 4 pm today, Mike and I saw 1 California Tortoiseshell on the Mount Tolmie reservoir. 

 

  Mark Wynja sends underside and upperside photographs of an Oreas Comma  from Little Mountian, Parksville, April 13, together with a useful analysis of three comma species:

 

Oreas Comma Polygonia oreas (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mark Wynja

 

Oreas Comma Polygonia oreas (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mark Wynja

 

Oreas Comma

Dorsal surface:

  1. narrow dark continuous outer margin
  2. Very similar to Zephyr/Hoary

Ventral surface:

  1. mostly solid dark brown
  2. subterminal markings barely visible on fore wing and not visible on hind wing

 

Zephyr/Hoary 

Dorsal surface:

  1. dark fragmented and uneven outer margin

Ventral surface:

  1. frosty gray band separating the dark outer margin from the dark base of wings
  2. row of pale yellow subterminal markings

 

Green Comma 

Dorsal surface:

  1. wide dark continuous outer margin
  2. Hind wing has small pale subterminal marks, mostly surrounded by the dark of the wide margin

Ventral surface:

  1. row of moss green subterminal markings
  2. mottled below

 

   Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of a crab spider  from the Kemp Lake area, April 13.  Robb Bennett identifies it as a member of the genus Xysticus.  Without close examination of the specimen, it is not possible to be certain of the species.  X. pretiosus and  X.locuples are possibilities.

 


Xysticus sp. (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 


Xysticus sp. (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

 

 

 

 

April 13

2020 April 13

 

   Rosemary Jorna photographed a jumping spider in the Kemp Lake area on April 12.  Dr Robb Bennett suggests that it might possibly be a species of the genus Pelegrina, but it is difficult to be certain of this.

 

Jumping spider. Possibly Pelegrina sp.  (Ara.: Salticidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Jumping spider. Possibly Pelegrina sp.  (Ara.: Salticidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw a Western Spring Azure at UVic this afternoon.  Although eight species of butterfly have been reported from the Victoria area this year (plus another two up-Island), I am under the impression that there are still very few individual butterflies around.

 

Nevertheless, Ron Flower writes:  Today, Monday April 13, we went back to the Munn Road power line where we saw many Sara Orangetips and finally had a male sit long enough for a picture.

 

Sara Orangetip  Anthocharis sara (Lep.:  Pieridae)  Ron Flower

 

 

Peter Boon writes from Nanaimo:  Cabbage Whites are becoming widespread around Nanaimo. I saw them in at least five different locations yesterday. I went up to Little Mountain in Parksville yesterday afternoon and found at least 2 Grey Hairstreaks, 2 Cabbage Whites, and this comma which I am thinking is maybe Oreas.  (Jeremy Tatum writes:  I agree, but I’d welcome further opinions, with reasons.) [Added later:  Gordon Hart and Mark Wynja concur with the identification.  See further analysis on April 14.]

 

Oreas Comma Polygonia oreas (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Peter Boon

Oreas Comma Polygonia oreas (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Peter Boon

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 

2 Behrensia conchiformis

1 Cladara limitaria

1 Egira (simplex ?)

4 Eupithecia spp.

1 E. annulata

1 E. graefii

1 E. ravocostaliata/nevadata 

11 H. manzanita

2 Melanolophia imitata 

2 Nola minna

5 Venusia obsoleta /pearsalli

 


Eupithecia graefii (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Eupithecia ravocostaliataI/nevadata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


Eupithecia annulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


Cladaria limitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


Melanolophia imitata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


Egira simplex/crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr


Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Pleromelloidea conserta (lLep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr


Nola minna (Lep.: Nolidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

April 12

2020 April 12

 

    Jeff Gaskin writes that he saw his first of the year Western Brown Elfin today, April 12, on Gorge Road, near Wascana Street.

 

   Jochen Möhr had a rich moth haul in Metchosin this morning:

 


Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 



Egira crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Egira simplex (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 


Egira simplex (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 


Cissusa indiscreta (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Cladara limitaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Behrensia conchiformis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Orthosia hibisci (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

April 11 afternoon

April 11 afternoon

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw just a single Western Spring Azure butterfly along the length of the Panhandler Trail off Munn Road this afternoon.  But here are a couple of moths.

 


Agonopterix alstroemeriana (Lep.: Depressariidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

   This is a micro from Europe whose caterpillar occurs in such large numbers on Poison Hemlock Conium maculatum that it can devastate a large clump of this very poisonous plant.  It can be found particularly on the large hemlock clumps in Panama Flats.   Clas Alströmer was a student and colleague of Linnaeus.


Habrosyne scripta (Lep.: Drepanidae – Thysanurinae) Jeremy Tatum

 

      Reared on Salmonberry from East Sooke Park.  Ecloded (emerged) today.

April 11 morning

2020 April 11 morning

 

Jochen Möhr’s moths from  Metchosin this morning:

 

1 Egira perlubens

1 Eupithecia graefii 

6 Hydriomena manzanita

1 Lithophane innominata 

1 Phyllodesma americana (same as yesterday)

1 Spodolepis danbyi (same as yesterday)  

5 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

 

Jochen writes that he sees an Orangetip  butterfly every day.

 


Egira perlubens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Gordon Hart sends a photograph of Eupithecia graefii from his Highlands home.

 


Eupithecia graefii (Lep.: Geometridae)  Gordon Hart

   Thanks to Libby Avis for help with identifying these and indeed most of the moths on this site!

 

Mr E sends pictures of a small fly found in Saanich, April 10:

 


Clusia (probably occidentalis)  (Dip.: Clusiidae)  Mr E


Clusia (probably occidentalis)  (Dip.: Clusiidae)  Mr E

Mr E also sends a photograph of a tachinid fly, April 5, Saanich.

 

Tachinid fly (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Mr E

   Mr E sends photographs of some small beetles found on on the spadix of the Skunk Cabbage Lysichiton americanus in Saanich April 10.   Charlene Wood writes:  These are great little rove beetles – Pelecomalium sp.  These beetles are known to pollinate skunk cabbage – I’ve collected many from this plant on Galiano Island.

 


Pelecomalium sp.  (Col.: Staphylinidae)  Mr E


Pelecomalium sp.  (Col.: Staphylinidae)  Mr E