2022 August 29

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  Shortly before ecdysis (skin-change from one instar to the next) the caterpillar of a butterfly or moth typically appears “two-headed”.  The head of the “new” caterpillar is withdrawn into the thoracic area of the “old” skin.  The first (foremost) head that you can see is the now-empty head capsule of the “old” caterpillar.  Behind this you can see the head of the “new” caterpillar inside the ”old” skin.  We see in the photograph the “double-head” of an eyed hawk moth caterpillar shortly going to change from fourth instar to fifth.

Smerinthus ophthalmica (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Cheryl Hoyle sends photographs of two leafhoppers and a presumed leafhopper nymph from View Royal, August 28.

Blue-green Sharpshooter Hordnia atropunctata (Hem.:  Cicadellidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Rhododendron Leafhopper Graphocephala fennahi (Hem.: Cicadellidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Presumed leafhopper nymph (Hem.: Cicadellidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   Aziza Cooper sends photographs of a butterfly and a dragonfly from Swan Lake, August 28:

   Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Ian Cooper photographed these two spiders in the middle of the night (August 27/28) at Colquitz Creek Park.  We thank Dr Robb Bennett for confirming Ian’s accurate identifications.  Of the first, Dr Bennett writes:  This is a clubionid, a species of Clubiona. There are quite a few species in BC but I suspect this one is the introduced species Clubiona lutescens.

Clubiona (probably lutescens) (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper

Immature Callobius pictus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae)  Ian Cooper

Harvestman (identification uncertain) (Opiliones)  Ian Cooper

   We thank Claudia Copley for confirming Ian’s identification of the camel cricket below.

Camel cricket Pristoceuthophilus sp. (Orth.: Rhaphidophoridae)  Ian Cooper

   Just before presstime, we heard from Jeremy Gatten that he had seen a Swift Forktail yesterday by the Vancouver Island Trout Hatchery close to the Cowichan River in Duncan.  In case anyone is wondering, that’s a damselfly, Ischnura erratica.

2022 August 28

    Correction:  We had incorrectly labelled a dragonfly on the evening posting for August 24.  The label has now been corrected.  See that posting for the discovery by Mike Yip of the second-ever sighting of a Cherry-faced Meadowhawk on Vancouver Island

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This micro was on the wall of my Saanich apartment building this morning – identified by Libby Avis as a member of the difficult crambid Subfamily Scopariinae – a group that probably needs a lot of work to sort out the various genera and species.

Micro moth (Lep.: Crambidae  – Scopariinae)  Jeremy Tatum

Jochen Möhr photographed this Dargida procinctus in Metchosin on August 22.  The photograph somehow got lost in the big bunch of photographs received by Invert Alert in the last few days!

Girdler Moth  Dargida procinctus  (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Jochen has four more moth photographs from Metchosin today:

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Udea profundalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Jochen Möhr

The fourth is an underside view – always a challenge to identify.   Jochen hazards a “wild guess” at Noctua pronuba.   Jeremy Tatum  writes:  I’d say it is better than a wild guess, but a very good guess indeed.  The shape is just right for N.pronuba.  I don’t know that this shape uniquely identifies it, but it is certainly characteristic, and I am happy to label it as a “probable”!

Probably Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Ian Cooper photographed this spider on rough conifer bark in Colquitz Creek Park at 4:00 am, August 28.  Dr Robb Bennett writes:  I think that’s one of the long-jawed orbweavers (Tetragnathidae) that don’t have long jaws – we have 3 species (2 native, 1 introduced)  of Metellina .   Most likely M. curtisi. But could be M. segmentata or the introduced M. mimetoides.

Zygiella sp. (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

Zygiella sp. (Ara.: Araneidae)   Ian Cooper

   Jeemy Tatum writes:  At 5:00 pm today, Sunday August 28, two Red Admirals were on the Mount Tolmie reservoir.  One was very worn – possibly the same one reported by Jeff Gaskin on August 21.  In spite of being worn, both butterflies flew very strongly, chasing each other round and round as though it were spring.

More tomorrow…

2022 August 27

    Cheryl Hoyle seems to have discovered an effective moth attractant – ripe figs!  Here are some moths from View Royal, August 20.

Catocala aholibah  (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  ‘Fraid we can’t be sure what the two noctuid moths are – but they do serve to show how huge the Catocala is.   Catocalas  can be difficult to determine to species, but I’m pretty sure this is aholibah.  Here’s another one:

Catocala aholibah  (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Xestia xanthographa (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Libby Avis writes, of the next one:  It is a Homorthodes for sure – either communis or fractura. Hard to tell apart. I think more likely communis which is the more common, but maybe best to leave it at genus.

Homorthodes communis/fractura (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Homorthodes communis/fractura (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

We received two ant photographs on consecutive days.  It is well to remember that not all ants by any means are Formica  – they are scattered through many genera.  Of the two below, one, a wood ant eyeing the ripe fig, is Formica;  the other, a carpenter ant, isn’t.

Wood ant Formica sp. (Hym.:  Formicidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Western Black Carpenter Ant  Camponotus modoc (Hym.: Formicidae)  Ian Cooper

   Here are a few more of Ian Cooper’s photographs, taken locally after dark in the last 30 days.

Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for identifying the cybaeid spider.

Cybaeus (possibly signifer) (Ara.: Cybaeidae)  Ian Cooper

Enoplognatha ovata (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Ian Cooper

Jumping bristletail Pedetontus (possibly saltator) (Microcoryphia:  Machilidae)

  Ian Cooper

Unidentified but probably an ichneumonid wasp (Hym.: Ichneumonidae)  Ian Cooper

Crane fly (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Ian Cooper

Crane fly (Dip.: Tipulidae) Ian Cooper

2022 August 25 evening

    Jeff Gaskin reports:  Yesterday, August 24, there was a Grey Hairstreak at Panama Flats seen along the central dyke closest to Interurban Road.  This is only the second report of this butterfly in Invert Alert this year.

Ian Cooper sends a group of photographs taken recently in the Victoria area of several pollinating insects.

Hover fly Eupeodes fumipennis (Dip.: Syrphidae) on Chicory    Ian Cooper

Eristalis arbustorum  (Dip.: Syrphidae) on Queen Anne’s Lace (Wild Carrot)   Ian Cooper

We are grateful to Dr J. Skevington for help with the identification of these two syrphids.

Resin Bee Dianthidium sp. (Hym.: Megachilidae) on Gumweed  Ian Cooper

Leafcutter bee Megachile (possibly perihirta) (Hym.: Megachilidae) on Perennial Pea

Ian Cooper

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae) on Douglas Aster

Ian Cooper

Small Carpenter Bee Ceratina sp. (Hym.: Apidae) on probably Spear Mint

  Ian Cooper

2022 August 25 morning

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  I think we have solved the computer problems that disrupted Invertebrate Alert for a while.  Now we just have to deal with the backlog – which may take a little while!

Cheryl  Hoyle sends photographs taken in View Royal, August 24:

Emmelina monodactyla (Lep.: Pterophoridae) Cheryl Hoyle

Acleris variegana (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Brown Lacewing (Neu.: Hemerobiidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Brown Lacewing (Neu.: Hemerobiidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Margaret Lidkea sends photographs of a caterpillar of the American Lappet Moth Phyllodesma americana.

American Lappet Phyllodesma americana (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)

  Margaret Lidkea

American Lappet Phyllodesma americana (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)

Margaret Lidkea

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs of two geometrid moths from Metchosin this morning:

Drepanulatrix secundaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr