2024 April 3

  Ian Cooper sends photographs of a variety of insects.  We don’t attempt to identify them to species, since they would all require specialist knowledge, but we are grateful to Dr Rob Cannings who has identified the flies to Family level.   If any viewer can go further with the identification of these insects, please let us know.

  Diptera – Sciaridae          Ian Cooper

Diptera – Sciaridae          Ian Cooper

Diptera – probably Heleomyzidae     Ian Cooper

The next is a crane fly, but not the common and familiar Tipula paludosa.

 Diptera  –  Tipulidae      Ian Cooper

   The next is a hymenopterous insect (wasp) scavenging on the flesh of a dead mouse.  It would be most interesting to know what it is, even just to Family level. We hope that some viewer might be able to help us.

      Hymenoptera      Ian Cooper

Hymenoptera      Ian Cooper

2024 April 2

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  A Mourning Cloak was at Quick’s Bottom this morning, April 2nd, –  the only butterfly that was there.

Ian Cooper photographed this slug at Colquitz River Park, March 28.  We had wondered whether it might be Arion silvaticus – but Robert Forsyth writes:  “Identifying Arion within each of the subgenera is really risky, or just impossible. Arion silvaticus is not a species that I’ve ever been able to validate as being here. There’s a study that shows that body pigmentation can be affected by diet (although I’m unsure that the dotting on the mantle, typical in A. circumscriptus, is also affected), so ‘traditional’ use of body colour probably doesn’t work. Dissection (or DNA) is needed for determining species with accuracy.”  And after seeing the photograph Robert continues: “It could be, or it could be A. fasciatus. But I also notice that this is a very young slug (judging by the size of the fern fronds; I assume that this is on a Sword Fern). So that may complicate matters further. For example, the large, black Arion is pale and banded when very young (not saying that this is one).

So – while A. silvaticus is a possibility, we shall just label this one, for the time being,  Arion sp.   The tiny insect to the right of the slug’s head is a springtail.

Arion sp.  (Ara.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Ian’s next slug is a little easier to identify.  It is Limax maximus, photographed at Colquitz River Park before dawn this morning, April 2nd.  It has borne several English names, such as Giant Garden Slug, Great Grey Slug (the one below isn’t very grey!) and Leopard Slug.

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

The next animal is another difficult one.  Dr Robb Bennett writes:   A male linyphiine linyphiid of uncertain genus affinity. Would need some clear images of its pedipalps to make identification progress.

Male linyphiine spider  (Ara.: Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)   Ian Cooper

2024 April 1 evening

Gordon Hart, who has organized the monthly Butterfly Counts for eight years, now wishes to pass the torch on, so we need to find someone to organize these Counts, starting this month.  These Butterfly Counts are an important part of the VNHS’s activities, and we very much hope that someone will volunteer, so that the counts can continue uninterrupted.  Please, if you would like to help in this way, get in touch with Gordon (hartgordon19@gmail.com), who will be happy to help you to get started. 

   We all thank Gordon for organizing these Counts for us over the years. He will continue to organize the monthly Butterfly Walks as usual, starting in May.  For details, watch this site and the Victoria Naturalist.

Jeff Gaskin writes:

Yesterday afternoon, March 31st, I went up Christmas Hill and saw my first of the year Western Spring Azure. I saw only one, as well as a Satyr Comma.

2024 March 31

  Here are photographs of two Grey Field Slugs, one photographed by Ian Cooper at Colquitz River Park on March 29, and the other, of a slightly unusual colour, by Aziza Cooper on Mount Tolmie, March 27.

Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)  Ian Cooper

Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)  Aziza Cooper

Here are further recent photographs of invertebrates by Ian Cooper:

Lauria cylindracea  (Pul.: Lauriidae) Ian Cooper

Harvestman (Opiliones)   Ian Cooper

Harvestman (Opiliones)   Ian Cooper

Armadillidium vulgare  (Isopoda:  Armidillidiidae)   Ian Cooper

Camel cricket, possibly Pristoceuthophilus celatus (Orth.: Rhaphidophoridae)
Ian Cooper

Aziza Cooper writes:
Yesterday, March 30, a moth was in my house. Today, March 31, one Western Spring Azure was in front of the Swan Lake Nature House. Two Mourning Cloaks were seen on the trails at Swan Lake.

Today, March 31, Jeremy Tatum saw two Western Spring Azures at Swan Lake, and a Mourning Cloak and a California Tortoiseshell on the Mount Tolmie reservoir.  Jeff Gaskin reports a Mourning Cloak today at the corner of Wascana Street and Gorge Road West.

Nomenia obsoleta/Venusia pearsalli  (Lep. Geometridae)  Aziza Cooper

For a long time we (Invert Alert) have had difficulty in distinguishing between the similar Venusia obsoleta  and V. pearsalli, and we have been sort of hoping that the taxonomists might one day lump them as one species.  Alas, they went the other way, and they are now in separate genera, as you see from the label to the above photograph.  And we still can’t tell them apart!

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper