2025 January 25

No Invertebrate Alerts were posted on January 22, 23, 24.

   Ian Cooper writes:  I biked over to Clover Point to have “Coffee with the seagulls” this afternoon and, to my complete surprise, I noticed a lady beetle on the wing as I arrived at the shore. I watched it land on a nearby driftwood log, so I grabbed my camera and managed to take some photos and video of it.

Seven-spotted Lady Beetle  Coccinella septempunctata  (Col.: Coccinellidae)   Ian Cooper

Seven-spotted Lady Beetle  Coccinella septempunctata  (Col.: Coccinellidae)   Ian Cooper

2025 January 21

   Barb McGrenere sends a splendid photograph of a cauliflower – with a Large Yellow Underwing caterpillar, which had been feeding on it.

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Barb McGrenere

Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a firebrat from his Saanich apartment.

Firebrat Thermobia domestica  (Thy.:  Lepismatidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2025 January 20

No Invertebrate Alerts were posted on January 18, 19.

Here are some recent invertebrate photographs by Ian Cooper.  All except the first were taken before dawn on January 19, 2025, at *Colquitz River Park and by the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.  The first (Cross Orb-weaver) was taken on January 13.

Cross Orb-weaver Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

* A very tiny, almost invisibly small spider, Rugathodes sexpunctatus (Ara.: Theridiidae)
Ian Cooper

# Female Neriene digna (Ara.: Linyphiidae)   Ian Cooper

# Male Neriene digna (Ara.: Linyphiidae)   Ian Cooper

#Unidentified first or second instar noctuid caterpillar (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

Unidentified nematoceran fly.  Possibly a winter gnat (Dip.: Trichoceridae)
Ian Cooper

* Springtail – Orchesella cincta (Coll.: Orchesellidae)   Ian Cooper

2024 January 17

Here are some pictures from Ian Cooper’s January 17 predawn photo shoot in View Royal.

 Fungus Gnat (Dip.: Mycetophilidae)  Ian Cooper

   Those brown things on the underside of the fern leaf are known technically, I believe (writes Jeremy Tatum) as sori.  Just as we can identify the fly from the patterns of the venation on the wings of the fly, and the tarsal spines, so, in like mien, any botanists watching this will doubtless be able to identify the fern  from the sori.

 Female Pimoa altioculata (Ara.: Pimoidae)   Ian Cooper

Unidentified linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae)   Ian Cooper

Snout mite (Acari:  Bdellidae)   Ian Cooper

Pseudoscorpion  (Pseudoscorpiones)   Ian Cooper

2025 January 16 evening

   Here are some pictures taken by Ian Cooper at Colquitz River Park before dawn on January 13.

Globular springtail Ptenothrix sp. (Coll.: Dicyrtomidae)   Ian Cooper

Springtail – Orchesella villosa (Coll.: Orchesellidae)   Ian Cooper

VERY small Harvestman Protolophus sp.  (Opiliones:  Protolophidae)   Ian Cooper

Note: This tiny harvestman was minute! Less than 1 cm, including the radius of its legs. It was almost indiscernible from the rockface it was paused on.

Linyphiid spider, possibly Neriene sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae)   Ian Cooper

Nematoceran fly (Dip.:  Tipulidae or Trichoceridae)  Ian Cooper

Common Chrysalis Snail  Lauria cylindracea  (Pul.: Lauriidae)   Ian Cooper

   Dr Heather Proctor’s “best guess”  [which , writes Jeremy Tatum, doubtless means pretty certain!] is that the mites in the photograph are earth mites in the Family Penthaleidae.