This blog provides an informal forum for terrestrial invertebrate watchers to post recent sightings of interesting observations in the southern Vancouver Island region. Please send your sightings by email to Jeremy Tatum (tatumjb352@gmail.com). Be sure to include your name, phone number, the species name (common or scientific) of the invertebrate you saw, location, date, and number of individuals. If you have a photograph you are willing to share, please send it along. Click on the title above for an index of past sightings.The index is updated most days.

2024 November 19

2024 November 19

Ian Cooper writes:  I made a point of riding to Colquitz River Park and View Royal for a photoshoot overnight to ‘seize the opportunity’ to take pictures ahead of the approaching windstorm that’s expected to wreak havoc later today and Wednesday. Despite the forecast calling for 60% showers and donning my raingear, I wasn’t rained on at all over the entire 4 1/2 hour outing, although it had obviously showered before I left James Bay out around 2:30 am. It was cool out; there was frost on the Selkirk Trestle on the way to Colquitz, but I was well insulated with multiple layers.

All pictures are from my overnight photo shoot at *Colquitz River Park and # View Royal on November 19.

# Crane fly larva – a “leatherjacket”, most likely Tipula paludosa (Dip.: Tipulidae) Ian Cooper

# Ptenothrix maculosa olympia (Coll.: Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae)  Ian Cooper

* Arion hortensis (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

# Harvestman  Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)
with its captured prey – a Longneck Field Slug Deroceras invadens  (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)
Ian Cooper

# Crab spider  Xysticus cristatus (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Large Yellow Underwing  Noctua pronuba  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 November 18

2024 November 18

   Jeremy Tatum writes that there were about 30 European Winter Moths at the back door of his Saanich apartment this morning.

Here are more photographs from Ian Cooper’s November 14 and 17 photo shoots in View Royal.

Cybaeus (possibly signifer)  (Ara.: Cybaeidae)   Ian Cooper
Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for help with identifying this one.

 

Common Rough Woodlouse  Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Porcellionidae)   Ian Cooper

 

Robust Lancetooth Snail  Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae)   Ian Cooper

 

Longneck Field Slug  Deroceras invadens  (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)   Ian Cooper

 

Grey Field Slug  Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)   Ian Cooper

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)   Ian Cooper

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have heard several English names given to this slug, such as Leopard Slug, Giant Garden Slug,  Great Grey Slug.

 

 

2024 November 17

2024 November 17


   Here are four pictures from Ian Cooper’s November 17 overnight photo shoot at View Royal, plus  a spider picture taken on November 14

Male linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

Flat-backed Millepede  Scytonotus sp. (Diplopoda:  Polydesmidae)   Ian Cooper

Yellow-Bordered Taildropper  Prophysaon foliolatum (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Robust Lancetooth Snail  Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae.)
Ian Cooper

Garlic Snail  Oxychilus alliarius   (Pul.:  Oxychilidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 November 16

2024 November 16

   More invertebrate photographs by Ian Cooper from View Royal:

Harvestman  Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)   Ian Cooper

Female European Earwig  Forficula auricularia  (Derm.: Forficulidae)  Ian Cooper

Probably Fungus Gnat,  (possibly Dynatosoma sp.) (Dip.: Mycetophilidae)  Ian Cooper

Globular springtail, Ptenothrix sp. (Collembola – Symphypleona – Dicyrtomenidae)
Ian Cooper

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

 

2024 November 15 evening

2024 November 15 evening

   Here are some photographs from Ian Cooper’s photoshoot in View Royal last night.  Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for help with the spider identification.

Triangle Web Spider  Hyptiotes (probably gertschi )   (Ara.:  Uloboridae)   Ian Cooper

 

Callobius pictus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae)   Ian Cooper

Flat-backed Millepede Scytonotus sp. (Diplopoda:  Polydesmidae)   Ian Cooper

Springtail Orchesella villosa (Coll.: Orchesellidae)   Ian Cooper

Grey Field Slugs  Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)   Ian Cooper

Probably Fungus Gnat,  (possibly Dynatosoma sp.) (Dip.: Mycetophilidae)  Ian Cooper