2017 March 4

   Where do flies go in winter?  Well, these two elected to spend the winter in a rotten log on southern Vancouver Island, where they were photographed by Leah Ramsay.  Although it is difficult to be certain of the exact identity, it is pretty sure that these are a species of cluster fly Pollenia sp.  Rob Cannings writes:  P. rudis used to be considered the sole species in North America, but recent revisionary work has resulted in six species, all found in British Columbia.  Five of these occur on Vancouver Island.  They are earthworm parasitoids and, as you might expect from their hosts, are introduced from Europe.  They are among the most common flies around in fall through spring as they overwinter as adults.  Sometimes they fly in warm winter days here; usually you see them sunning on warm walls.  They are duller looking than most blow flies (lack metallic sheen) and have characteristic crinkly yellow hairs on the thorax (sometimes not easy to see).

 Probably Pollenia  sp. (Dip.: Calliphoridae)  Leah Ramsay

2017 March 3

   We are grateful to Charlene Wood for identifying the  Flat Brown Scavenger Beetle  photographed by Ian Cruickshank on Sidney Island on February 22.   Charlene writes:  By the large hairy pads on the tips of the forelegs, it appears to be a male.  Adults are scavengers of decaying organic material and are found in moist cool ares of the Pacific Northwest, from Alaska to California.  Luckily the photograph was clear enough to see some characteristics that helped with determination, including the number of segments on the hind tarsus (5) and the antennae with 5 terminal segments widened and the first and third antenna segments lengthened.

Necrophilus hydrophiloides (Col.: Agyrtidae)    Ian Cruickshank

2017 March 1

   Best wishes for St David’s Day, Val.

   Dar Churcher photographed the micro moth below in Metchosin last week.  Many thanks to Eric LaGasa for identifying it for us.  Eric writes:  This nice image is a very dark Oegoconia novimundi, a fairly common detritivore species that does seem to overwinter as an adult and can be very common at porch lights in summer.

  It apparently also has an English name:  Four-spotted Yellowneck.   It is the first representative of its Family to appear on Invert Alert.

Oegoconia novimundi (Lep.:  Autostichidae)  Dar Churcher

  In the February 16 posting, we mentioned the appeal for volunteers for “butterfly rangers” for the David Suzuki Foundation’s Butterfly Project.  I am told that, in spite of the very short notice before the application deadline, there were more than 100 applications from Victoria.  Wow! Isn’t that something!  If any contributors to the Invert Alert Website are among the rangers, we would be glad to hear how things go.

2017 February 24

   Note that today is February 24.  Last year the first butterflies reported for the year were on February 25!  (A Mourning Cloak and a Satyr Comma.)

   Dar Churcher sends us an interesting silhouette of Alucita montana from Metchosin, February 23.

Alucita montana (Lep.:  Alucitidae)   Dar Churcher

   She also sends a picture of a spider and spiderlings.  Robb Bennett writes:  Not entirely sure, but I think it is a female Parasteatoda tepidariorum with spiderlings emerging from her two egg sacs.  A common cob-web spider (Theridiidae)  found in and around homes around the world.

Parasteatoda tepidariorum (Ara.: Theridiidae) Dar Churcher

   Ian Cruickshank sends a photograph of a mass of eggs of the Vapourer Moth (also called Rusty Tussock) laid by the flightless female on her own cocoon, Sidney Island, February 24.

Vapourer Moth Orgyia antiqua (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)   Ian Cruickshank

2017 February 22

   Devon Parker saw this caterpillar cross a sidewalk today.  It is almost certainly a ground- or underground-feeder in the Family Noctuidae,  Subfamily Noctuinae.

Noctuine caterpillar (Lep.: Noctuidae – Noctuinae)   Devon Parker