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 15 morning

2024 November 15 morning

No Invert Alerts were issued on November 13 or 14.

However, Jeff Gaskin tells us that Kirsten Mills saw a Cabbage White by the model aircraft field out at Martindale Flats on November 14, and a darner dragonfly species – either Paddle-tailed or Shadow -Darner was seen at Island View Beach.   Today is forecast to be a sunny day, so a butterfly is still possible.

Aziza Cooper saw a dragonfly, and photographed this drone fly yesterday at Jordan River.  Thanks to Dr Jeff Skevington for identifying it as Eristalis sp.

 

Eristalis sp. (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

 

2024 November 12

2024 November 12

No Invertebrate Alert was issued on November 11.

Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today, November 12th, there was one Darner (Aeshnidae) species of dragonfly over the ponds in Cuthbert Holmes Park.  I’m presuming it was probably a Paddle-tailed Darner but it could also have been a Shadow Darner.  It was seen at some distance from me.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is the pupa made by the caterpillar shown on October 31 morning:

 

                       Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

Ian Cooper writes:  Here is an assortment of six pictures taken in *Colquitz River Park in Saanich, the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal, and the ^E&N Trail in Esquimalt.

 

#Unidentified Globular springtail (Coll.: Dicyrtomidae)   Ian Cooper

 

# Entomobrya sp.(Entomobryomorpha – Entomobryidae)
Ian Cooper

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

*Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

^Long-jawed Orb Weaver  Metellina sp. (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)   Ian Cooper

#Ant   (Hym.: Formicidae)  Ian Cooper

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024 November 10

2024 November 10

No Invertebrate Alert was issued on November 9.

Ian Cooper writes:  Here are six photographs from today’s predawn / early morning photo shoot in #View Royal and ^Esquimalt.

 

^Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ian Cooper


# Long-jawed Orb Weaver – Metellina sp. (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)  Ian Cooper

# Elongate-bodied springtail, Tomocerus sp. (Coll.: Tomoceridae)  Ian Cooper

 

# Prophysaon (probably foliolatum) (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

The next two photographs are of the same individual snail.

# Northwest Hesperian  Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)  Ian Cooper

# Northwest Hesperian  Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)  Ian Cooper

 

 

 

2024 November 8

2024 November 8

More photographs from Ian Cooper’s November 5 and 7 photoshoots.

Harvestman  Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)   Ian Cooper

Harvestman  Protolophus sp.  (Opiliones:  Protolophidae)   Ian Cooper

Harvestman  Protolophus sp.  (Opiliones:  Protolophidae)   Ian Cooper

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

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

Common Striped Woodlouse  Philoscia muscorum (Isopoda: Oniscidae)   Ian Cooper

Springtail  Orchesella villosa (Coll.: Orchesellidae)   Ian Cooper

2024 November 7

2024 November 7

Painted Lady !!!   Jeff Gaskin writes:       Today, November 7th, I actually saw the Painted Lady which has been on Christmas Hill for the past month.  I’ve only seen Painted Ladies in November now  just twice, and the only other time  was close to 30 years ago, November 2nd.  The Lady appeared at 1:10 p.m. when the sun came out and was still there when I left around 1:20 p.m.

 

  Here are some November 7 photographs by Ian Cooper at Colquitz River Park:


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

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

Three-banded Garden Slug  Ambigolimax valentianus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

Privet Leafhopper, Fieberiella florii  (Hem.: Cicadellidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Dr Robb Bennett writes of the spider below:  :It is an erigonine linyphiid. A mature male. But I don’t think it is an Erigone species. So, best I can do is subfamily Erigoninae.”

Small spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae- Erigoniinae)  Ian Cooper

Crab Spider Xysticus (probably X. cristatus)  (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Unidentified Nematoceran fly (Dip.: Nematocera