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.

December 5

2020 December 05

 

   This tiny beetle was photographed at Colquitz River Park by Ian Cooper on December 1, kindly identified by Charlene Wood as a crab-like rove beetle (Tachyporinae).  Ian’s video of it can be watched here:     https://tinyurl.com/y2j6cslw

 

Crab-like rove beetle (Col.: Staphylinidae – Tachyporinae)  Ian Cooper

December 4

2020 December 4

 

   Three slugs photographed by Ian Cooper in Colquitz River Park.  Thanks to Dr Robert Forsyth for confirming the identifications.

 


Arion hortensis agg. (hortensis?  distinctus?) (Pul.: Arionidae) 

 


Arion hortensis agg. (Pul.: Arionidae) 

 


Derocerus reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)  Ian Cooper

December 3

2020 December 3

 

   Two different woodlice photographed by Ian Cooper in Colquitz River Park:


Oniscus asellus (Isopoda:  Oniscidae)  Ian Cooper



Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Porcellionidae)  Ian Cooper

 

December 2

2020 December 2

 

   Here are some globose springtails photographed in Colquitz River Park by Ian Cooper, and kindly identified for us by Dr Frans Janssens:

 


Ptenothrix maculosa olympia

(Collembola – Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae) Ian Cooper


Ptenothrix maculosa olympia

(Collembola – Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae) Ian Cooper


Ptenothrix maculosa olympia

(Collembola – Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae) Ian Cooper


Ptenothrix maculosa olympia

(Collembola – Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae) Ian Cooper


Dicyrtomina minuta forma saundersi

(Collembola – Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae) Ian Cooper

   And a variety of other creatures:

 

European Winter Moths Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ian Cooper

Woodlouse Hunter Spider Dysdera crocata (Ara.:  Dysderidae) Ian Cooper

See video here: https://tinyurl.com/y22hrvbu


Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

Tiny ( 2mm) spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae) Ian Cooper

 

December 1

2020 December 1

 

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph, from Metchosin this morning, of an Operophtera suspected to be O. occidentalis.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I agree, I think this is very probably occidentalis. The middle terminal cell is only slightly – but nevertheless distinctly – darker than the adjacent cells, and I believe that this marks it as occidentalis. I dare to label it such without a “probable” qualifier!  Keep a look-out for winter moths with this darker cell!

 

 

Western Winter Moth Operophtera occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr