2019 March 8

   Jochen Möhr sends a picture of an American Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitata from Metchosin.

American Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitata (Lep: Geometridae)

 Jochen Möhr

2019 March 5

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  As this cold weather continues, I am still reduced to photographing firebrats and similar indoor invertebrates in my apartment building.  We have two species of firebrat in the building – the common Thermobia domestica and the less common Ctenolepisma longicaudata, and I’m not 100 percent certain which this one is.   T.domestica usually has a well-defined brown mottled pattern (see February 19), while C. longicaudata is usually fairly uniformly grey.  To the unaided eye, this one looked grey, but the photograph shows it to have quite a lot of mottling.  However, I think it has the long abdomen typical of longicaudata,  rather than the stubby domestica abdomen, so I think it is Ctenolepisma longicaudata. I suppose there might be the possibiliy of hybridization, or of a different species, but that’s just idle speculation.

  The ever-busy taxonomists have been hard at work on these animals.  On this site I have been listing them in the Order Thysanura (three-pronged bristletails), but some authors are now calling the Order Zygentoma, and some seem not to be certain as to what Class to put them in.

Probably Ctenolepisma longicaudata (Thy.: Lepismatidae)   Jeremy Tatum

2019 February 27

   On  Monday  February 25 Nathan Fisk saw his first bumble bee of he year – a Bombus melanopygus at Fort Rodd Hill.

Bombus melanopygus  (Hym.: Apidae)  Nathan Fisk

2019 February 22

   Libby Avis writes:  Well, it’s been a long time without anything to report; however, yesterday (February 21st) we were at the Englishman River estuary and came across a mass of Lophocampa argentata caterpillars on Douglas Fir. Still snow on the ground, but they were pretty active.

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)

Libby Avis

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Libby Avis

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have not been so lucky.  As this wintry weather continues, I am still having to

scour the indoors looking for commensals.  Here is today’s haul – a web-spinning clothes moth:

Tineola bisselliella (Lep.: Tineidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2019 February 20

   As this wintry weather continues, we have to make do with whatever commensal invertebrates we can find indoors.  This spider was found in Jeremy Tatum’s apartment building this morning.

Pholcus phalangioides (Ara.: Pholcidae)   Jeremy Tatum

Pholcus phalangioides (Ara.: Pholcidae)   Jeremy Tatum

Pholcus phalangioides (Ara.: Pholcidae)   Jeremy Tatum