2019 May 1 morning

   Jochen Möhr’s April 31 haul, Metchosin:

15 Eupithecia spp.

9 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

9 Melanolophia imitata

8 Hydriomena manzanita

2 Cladara limitaria

2 Feralia comstocki

2 Xanthorhoe defensaria

1 Behrensia conchiformis

1 Egira crucialis

1 Egira curialis

1 Egira rubrica

1 Perizoma curvilinea

1 Lobophora nivigerata

1 Triphosa haesitata

   Some photographs.  Thanks to Libby Avis for help with the identifications.

Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Cladara limitaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Melanolophia imitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Feralia comstocki (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Lobophora nivigerata (Lep.: Geomtridae)  Jochen Möhr

Perizoma curvilinea (Lep.: Geometridae)

   Jeremy Tatum shows a small moth from Mount Tolmie, May 1:

Euceratia castella (Lep.: Plutellidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Annie Pang sends photographs of a Blue Orchard Bee (Mason Bee) from Gorge Park, April 28.

Osmia lignaria (Hym.:  Megachilidae)  Annie Pang

Osmia lignaria (Hym.:  Megachilidae)  Annie Pang

   Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of butterflies on April 30.  A comma from Charter’s Creek, a Western Brown Elfin from Todd Creek trestle, and a Cabbage White from Whiffen.  Would anyone out there dare to identify the comma?

Comma Polygonia sp. (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Western Brown Elfin  Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae) Rosemary Jorna

2019 April 30

    Jeremy Tatum found this beetle at the waterfront along Beach Drive on April 29.   Thanks to Charlene Wood for the identification.

Eleodes (Blapylis)sp. (Col.: Tenebrionidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Eleodes (Blapylis)sp. (Col.: Tenebrionidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Val George writes: This morning, April 30, the Tuesday birding group saw an Anise Swallowtail at Cattle Point and a Propertius Duskywing  on Mount Tolmie.

Coordinates:  Anise Swallowtail:  48.438516/-123.292919

                         Propertius Duskywing:  48.458075/-123.325452

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Val George

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  There were two California Tortoiseshells on the Mount Tolmie reservoir at 4:30 this afternoon.  I also got a brief glimpse of what I thought was a Western Tiger Swallowtail, but I’m not sure.

   Charlene Wood sends a picture of a small bee, which Annie Pang and Linc Best agree with Charlene is a female Adrena sp.

Mining bee Adrena sp. (Hym.: Adrenidae)  Charlene Wood

  Annie Pang photographed a female California Darner at Gorge Community Park on April 28.  Thanks to Rob Cannings for the identification.

California Darner Rhionaeschna californica (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Annie Pang

California Darner Rhionaeschna californica (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Annie Pang

      There’s a long line of moths waiting for tomorrow morning’s posting!

2019 April 29 afternoon

     Mike Yip writes from Nanoose:  Great day for golf at Fairwinds (April 25), and it was even more enjoyable to find a Western Pine Elfin basking on the 3rd green and a Grey Hairstreak on the 18th green. After golf I checked Cross Road and found an obliging Western Spring Azure.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Mike Yip

   And here’s an upperside (from the broad grey outer margin, a female) from Ken Vaughan:

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Ken Vaughan

   Jeremy Tatum writes that there was a California Tortoiseshell on the Mount Tolmie reservoir at 3:45 on the afternoon of April 25.

   Jochen Möhr’s moth counts in Metchosin on the mornings of April 25, 26 and 27 were

                     25                                                 26                                                    27

6 Hydriomena manzanita       4 Melanolophia imitata            2 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

5 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli  4 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli  and one each of:

2 Behrensia conchiformis         and one each of:                        Behrensia conchiformis

and one each of:                        Anticlea vasiliata                       Cladara limitaria

Cladara limitaria                       Behrensia conchiformis            Drepanuilatrix monicaria

Melanolophia imitata              Cladara limitaria                       Egira crucialis

Egira simplex/crucialis             Eupithecia ravocostaliata/nevadata

Feralia comstocki/deceptiva   Eupithecia sp.                           Feralia comstocki.deceptiva

Phyllodesma americana                                                               Perizoma curvilinea

                                                                                                           Anticlea vasiliata

   Photographs of a few of them:

Behrensia conchiformis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Feralia (probably comstocki) (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Cladara limitaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Phyllodesma americana (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr

Perizoma curvilinea (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Egira crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I photographed a weevil, on Rumex crispus at Rithet’s Bog on April 24.  Identification proved a bit of a problem and it needed a combined effort from three beetle enthusiasts.  Charlene Woods identified it as a species of Lixus, but she pointed out that there were only two species of Lixus on the British Columbia list, and Scott Gilmore didn’t think it was either of these.  Finally Bob Anderson identified it as Lixus concavus – a widespread species in North America, but which somehow had managed to avoid being on the British Columbia list.  An exciting experience, and thanks to the three people who went to a lot of trouble to identify it.

Lixus concavus  (Col.: Curculionidae)   Jeremy Tatum

   Here’s a photograph of a bee fly Bombyliu major from Ken Vaughan in the Highlands:

Bee fly Bombylius major (Dip.: Bombyliidae)  Ken Vaughan

   Syrphine flies and chrysomelid beetles are notoriously difficult to identify from photographs, and Ken has a photograph of one of each from the Highlands.  We are very grateful to Jeff Skevington (flies) and Scott Gilmore (beetles) for giving it their best shot.

    First, the fly.  Dr Skevington writes:   It looks like Eupeodes but I hesitate to put even generic identifications on syrphines with only one view.

Possibly Eupeodes  (Dip.: Syrphidae – Syrphinae)  Ken Vaughan

   Now the beetle.  Scott Gilmore writes:  Leaf beetles are hard even with a specimen in hand. This appears to be from the tribe Alticini and I think (guess?) genus Altica.

Possibly Altica (Col.: Chrysomelidae – Alticini)  Ken Vaughan

Jochen Möhr’s line-up in Metchosin for the morning of April 30:

This morning’s lineup:

5 Eupitheciae

4 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

1 Coryphista meadii

1 Cladara limitaria

1 Drepanulatrix monicaria

1 Egira crucialis

1 Egira curialis

1 Egira simplex

1 Egira rubrica

1 Perizoma curvilinea

1 Orthosia transparens

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

Photographs of a few of them:

Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Egira crucialis/simplex (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Egira crucialis/simplex (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Perizoma curvilinea (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2019 April 29 morning

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Apologies to viewers, for no movement on Invert Alert since Thursday.  This was because of a computer technical hitch, which did not allow me access to the site!  I believe it is fixed now.  There will be another posting this afternoon to help clear the big backlog that accumulated over the sunny weekend.

    Annie Pang writes:  I got these shots on April 20th here in Victoria, BC over at a neighbour’s place whose apple tree was infested with Woolly Apple Aphids.This bee looks to be a female Andrena species and it sure was busy collecting pollen off the blossoms! 

   Thanks to Lincoln Best for confirming Annie’s identification of genus and sex, and for suggesting that it is probably A. perplexa.

Adrena (probably perplexa) (Hym.: Adrenidae) Annie Pang

Adrena (probably perplexa) (Hym.: Adrenidae) Annie Pang

   Aziza Cooper writes:  On April 26 at Viaduct Flats I saw three Western Spring Azures. The photo also shows another strange creature, like a large ant.  [Jeremy Tatum writes:  It is a large ant!  Probably Formica sp.]

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)

and ant (probably Formica sp.)  Aziza Cooper

    Aziza continuies: On April 27 on the west slope of Mount Douglas we saw about five Sara Orangetips, and four Propertius Duskywings. The photo shows a duskywing with a lot of white – more than I remember as being typical.   Cris Guppy writes:  It is female, because of the very fat abdomen and also because of the well-developed whitish markings all over the forewings. Males have less whitish coloration other than the white spots.

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a rough stink bug from inside his Saanich apartment.

Rough stink bug Brochymena sp.  (Hem.:  Pentatomidae)  Jeremy Tatum

  Here is a recent photograph by Jochen Möhr of a Feralia species.  These can be difficult, but Libby Avis identifies it as Feralia comstocki.

Feralia comstocki (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Libby Avis writes from Port Alberni:  Attached are photos of today’s silk moth – Hyalophora euryalus subspecies euryalus.

   This one is an example of the "brown" phenotype known only from southern Vancouver Island – the body is completely brown. There is another "normal" phenotype also known from the island which has white markings on the body and collar. They interbreed and we get both forms in Port Alberni. Have attached another photo of the "normal" phenotype taken here in 2016 for comparison.

I also tracked down a paper on this from the Journal of the BC Entomological Society: https://journal.entsocbc.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/507/517

I know there have been other sightings in past years reported on the Invertalert, but I haven’t gone back to see what they look like – would be interesting to find out if they are a mix of forms too.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Well, if anyone would like to look through Invert Alert for previous Vancouver Island photographs of H. euryalus, the dates are as follows:  10Jun04; 13Apr28; 13May08; 13May29; 14May16;15Apr24;15May20; 16Apr12; 16Apr23;17Aug05; 18May12;

The one on my Furman University website http://facweb.furman.edu/~snyderjohn/tatum/278-283.htm appears to be the “normal” sort.

Hyalophora euryalus, “brown” form (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Libby Avis

Hyalophora euryalus, “brown” form (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Libby Avis

Hyalophora euryalus, “normal” form (Lep.: Saturniidae)

2016 photograph Libby Avis

   From a very large moth to a very small one, the moth below came from a Brussels sprout today.  It is Plutella xylostella, which is reputed to be one of the most widespread moths in the world – wherever they grow cabbages, presumably.  I didn’t measure the moth, but the length of the pupa from which it emerged was 5 mm.

Plutella xylostella (Lep.: Plutellidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jochen Möhr’s count from Metchosin, morning of April 28:

4 Eupithecias (pugs)

3 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

1 Apamea cinefacta

1 Drepanulatrix monicaria

1 Egira perlubens

1 Feralia comstocki

1 Hydriomena manzanita

1 Orthosia transparens

Pictures of some of them, with thanks to Libby Avis for identifications:

Feralia comstocki (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Of the next one, Libby writes:  Apamea cinefacta – I think, but same as one we deliberated over last year and both Jeremy and I decided this was the most likely culprit!

Apamea cinefacta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Egira rubrica (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

  Jeremy Tatum and Bill Savale walked along the railway line north of Cowichan Station on April 28, and we saw 8 Margined Whites, 2 Western Spring Azures, 1 Satyr Comma and 1 Cedar Hairstreak.  And of course we could hardly miss the two ova (eggs) on the underside of a Cascara leaf, shown below, next to two millimetre scales.

Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Wendy Ansell saw her first dragonfly of the season on April 28 on Christmas Hill.  Rob Cannings comments that April is really early for aeshnids here.  Thanks to Rob for identifying Wendy’s dragonfly as Rhionaeschna californica.

California Darner Rhionaeschna californica  (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Wendy Ansell

2019 April 24

  Rosemary Jorna photographed a nice harvestman  in her Kemp Lake Road garden on April 21.  We are grateful tp Philip Bragg, who writes:  I cannot see in Rosemary’s very nice photograph all the details I would have liked to check but I am pretty sure that she has Paroligolophus agrestis.

This harvestman is active in the spring.

Probably Paroligolophus agrestis (Opi.: Phalangiidae)  Rosemary Jorna