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.

Fenruary 18 morning

2020 February 18 morning

 

   Jochen Möhr sends a picture of one of our early moths from Metchosin, yesterday – Hydriomena nubilofasciata.

 


Hydriomena nubilofasciata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

   Layla Munger sends photographs of two syrphid flies from Beacon Hill Park yesterday.  While we can’t be certain of their exact identifications, writes Jeremy Tatum, I have labelled them with suggested genera.

 

Perhaps Merodon sp. (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Layla Munger

 

Perhaps Eristalis sp. (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Layla Munger

 

 

February 16

2020 February 16

 

   Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  Here is my first noctuid of the season – Egira hiemalis.

 

 

Egira hiemalis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

February 15 afternoon

2020 February 15 afternoon

 

   Jochen Möhr photographed another Eupithecia annulata/olivacea in Metchosin this morning.  He made two colour-renderings of it in the hope that this may help with the identification.  Jeremy Tatum writes that he thinks it looks more like annulata than olivacea, but seeing it this early in the year suggests that olivacea is more likely.  I think we’ll  just have to label this as another either/or.

 


Eupithecia annulata/olivacea (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


Eupithecia annulata/olivacea (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


   Libby Avis writes:  We stopped at the Buckley Bay rest stop yesterday on the way to Courtenay, and we found six Egira hiemalis. (I think they prefer a drier habitat that we get here), one Hypena californica and an undetermined Eupithecia.

 

February 15 morning

2020 February 15 morning

 

   Libby Avis writes from Port Alberni:  We were having coffee on February 13 in Quality Foods in Qualicum and found a Two-spotted Ladybird crawling up the inside of the window. We rescued it, brought it home to photograph and let it go. We hope it will survive if it doesn’t turn cold again, but it seems very early for it to be out of hibernation. I don’t know whether it got into Quality on someone’s coat  or if it emerged from a plant or the produce section! Anyway, I think they’re fairly common in BC but it ‘s only the second time that we’ve seen one; the other one was also in Qualicum, but later in the year – June 30th 2018. The earliest date in the Invert Alert index is May 10th.

 

 

Two-spotted Ladybird Adalia bipunctata (Col,: Coccinellidae)  Libby Avis

 

February 13

2020 February 13

  •    Jochen  Möhr writes from Metchosin:  After a hiatus from January  6 to yesterday, February 12, finally some moths at the light.  There were actually five individuals.
  •    Jochen originally suggested that these are Eupithecia olivacea, but, writes Jeremy Tatum, I wrote that they were probably E. annulata.  However, these two species are more similar than I had realized, and, based on their early appearance, Jochen’s original identification is more likely to be right.  Literature suggests that olivacea appears from early March, but annulata usually waits until April.  Apologies to Jochen!


Eupithecia (probably olivacea)   (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr


Eupithecia (probably olivacea)   (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhrr


Eupithecia (probably olivacea)   (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr