No invertebrates reported today.

However:  If anyone comes across a dead specimen of the moth that we have been calling Erannis vancouverensis, please would you save it for me?  It need not be in pristine condition.  It may be getting a little late in the season, for I haven’t seen one for a while.  I’d prefer that you didn’t kill one – just if you find a dead one.  Viewers of this site will know that I believe it is in fact Erannis defoliaria, and I’d like to try and settle the question.

Thank you.     Jeremy Tatum

2019 December 27

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Apologies for showing yet another Winter Moth, but this one, photographed this morning at UVIc, is the first time I have seen what I believe to be Operophtera occidentalis  either at UVic or at my Saanich apartment.   It is maybe a couple of weeks since I have seen Operophtera brumata, and seeing this occidentalis today reinforces my suspicion that perhaps occidentalis flies a little later than brumata.

Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

    Gordon Hart sends one from the Highlands.  I think it is O. brumata beginning to look a little bit past its “sell by” date.

Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Gordon Hart

2019 December 22

   Jochen Möhr sends several more pictures of Operophtera from Metchosin.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I believe they are distributed about evenly between O. brumata and O. occidentalis.   Here is one that I’m fairly sure is O. occidentalis.

Operophtera occidentalis I(Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

2019 December 19

   Jeremy Tatum writes:   Jochen Möhr sends from Metchosin a photograph of a winter moth Operophtera sp., which closely resembles the one shown on December 18.  We repeat here the December 18 moth, and show, below it, today’s moth.  Although they look very similar, I believe the first of these is the native O. occidentalis, and the second is the European O. brumata. 

Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

   There is a broad dark streak going from about the centre of the forewing to the mid-point of the outer margin.  It is not very obvious in the above specimen, though it becomes clearer when viewed from a distance.  I could be wrong (it happens!), but I believe this indicates occidentalis.  Also, I think the little black dot within the pale medial band, near the costal margin, is also an indicator of occidentalis.

Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

The dark streak and the little dark dot are absent in the specimen.

   And now, just as I type this, another dozen have come in from Jochen.  I think there are some of each,  which I’ll label with my best opinion, and a few,  labelled “sp.” that I don’t think I’ll commit myself to!  I wonder if there is any hybridization.  Any comments from viewers are more than welcome.

Operophtera sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Operophtera sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Jeremy Tatum writes:  This one seems to be about as clear a case of occidentalis as it is possible to get!

Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae )  Jochen Möhr

Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae )  Jochen Möhr

Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae )  Jochen Möhr

Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae )  Jochen Möhr  

Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Operophtera sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

  Since we can’t be exactly sure of this moth, I thought I’d see if we could get an identification on the spider!  Well, of course, the spider cannot be identified with certainty from this photograph, but Dr Robb Bennett has given it his best go.  He suggests that it is an immature theridiid. Possibly, he suggests, the one formerly known as Parasteatoda tepidariorum. (It may have recently moved to a different genus.)

Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr