2018 April 10 evening

   Thomas Barbin writes:  I have a photo from yesterday evening (April 9, 2018) in Goldstream Provincial Park. At the time I thought the midge just had something stuck to its leg, it wasn’t until I had the photos on my computer that I saw what was going on.

   The photo is of a midge (Tribe Chironomini) with a nematode parasite emerging from the abdomen (Family Mermithidae). Photographed on the roof of my car. Both identifications were made by Viktor Baranov on iNaturalist.ca.

Midge (Dip.: Chironomidae –  inae  –  ini)

Nematode (Mermithida:  Mermithidae)

Thomas Barbin

   Ron Flower writes:  Today April 10 we saw our first Western Spring Azure by the large rocks in front of Swan Lake nature house.  And Val George writes (presumably of the same butterfly?): My first butterfly of the season, a Western Spring Azure  –  seen this morning, April 10, at Swan Lake by the Tuesday birding group.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Val George

   Mike McGrenere writes: With the sun out this afternoon, Barb and I went hiking on the lower SW slopes of Mount Douglas, just up from Blenkinsop Road. We were looking for our first Sara Orangetip of the year and we saw one along the trail. There was only one and it preferred to fly below the trail (out of the wind) in the Garry Oaks. It was not cooperative for a photo.

2018 April 10 morning

   Some difficult puzzles from Jochen.  The noctuid pair Egira crucialis/simplex is notoriously difficult to separate.  Jochen photographed five individuals in Metchosin.  Here they are.  Several enthusiasts have pored over them.  There seems to be agreement that the first is probably simplex.  The next three are probably crucialis.  There have been five votes on the fifth.  Two say probably simplex, two say probably crucialis, and one abstention!  No one says absolutely definitely on any of them.  The hindwings would be a help.  Also the caterpillars, which are quite distinct in the final instar.

Probably Egira simplex (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Probably Egira crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Probably Egira crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Probably Egira crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

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

   Another pair that is difficult to distinguish is Eupithecia ravocostaliata/nevadata.

Jochen sends a photograph of one believed to be ravocostaliata.

Eupithecia ravocostaliata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

   Scott Gilmore sends photographs of another spider from Upper Lantzville.  Robb Bennett writes:  Hey!  Nice one…BC’s only “lynx spider” (Oxyopidae): Oxyopes scalaris.  Fairly common across southern Canada and south into Mexico but, for some reason, we hardly ever collect it around here or see images of it. The only other Vancouver Island records we have for it are from around Victoria so I will add the Lantzville record to the database.

Lynx spider Oxyopes scalaris (Ara.: Oxyopidae)    Scott Gilmore

Lynx spider Oxyopes scalaris (Ara.: Oxyopidae)    Scott Gilmore

Lynx spider Oxyopes scalaris (Ara.: Oxyopidae)    Scott Gilmore

Lynx spider Oxyopes scalaris (Ara.: Oxyopidae)    Scott Gilmore

2018 April 9 evening

   Wendy Ansell writes:  This afternoon Gerry and I saw a beautiful fresh Sara Orangetip on the west slope of Mount Douglas, just below where the observation tower used to be.

   More moths from Jochen Moehr in Metchosin, identified by Libby Avis.

Pleromelloida conserta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Acerra normalis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Orthosia transparens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Feralia deceptiva (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

   Jeremy Gatten, too, has been seeing lots of moths.  He writes:  I was out to Hans Helgesen today and had one Egira simplex.  Other year firsts today included: Orthosia transparens, Egira perlubens, Behrensia conchiformis, Eupithecia gilvipennata, and Hypena decorata.  I also had a cooperative Bee Fly to photograph – presumably Greater Bee Fly.  There was also a cooperative Mesoleuca gratulata on the wall of the school.

2018 April 9 morning

   Jochen Moehr has had some excellent moth nights in Metchosin recently.  Here are a few of his recent moths.  Thanks to Libby Avis for identifications.  More in this evening’s posting!

Hydriomena manzanita (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Hydriomena manzanita (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

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

Orthosia hibisci (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Cissusa indiscreta (Lep.: Erebidae)  Jochen Moehr

Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Scott Gilmore sends pictures of a “micro” moth from Upper Lantzville:

Telphusa sedulitella (Lep.: Gelechiidae)  Scott Gilmore

Telphusa sedulitella (Lep.: Gelechiidae)  Scott Gilmore

2018 April 7

   Rosemary Jorna photographed two tiny invertebrates in the Kemp Lake area.  First a springtail, and we are indebted to Dr Frans Jannsens for identifying it to subfamilial level:

Springtail (Entomobryomorpha: Tomoceridae – Tomocerinae)  Rosemary Jorna

Second, a flat-backed millipede.  Thomas Barbin recalled having photographed (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8607841) a similar one some time ago, which was identified as probably Scytonotus sp.

Probably Scytonotus sp. (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae)

Josemary Jorna

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Since I am an astronomer, I have to insist absolutely that Spring began at precisely 2018 March 20d 14h 59m PDT, though a prolonged cold period since, followed by a prolonged grey and rainy period makes this hard for some to accept.  Some insist that Spring doesn’t really begin until the first Orangetips appear.  Well I am glad to report that Nathan Fisk wrote yesterday from Fort Rodd Hill Learning Meadow: One or two Sara Orangetips flitting about the buttercups and sipping from the dew. What a wonderful sight!

Jochen Moehr reports a bounty of moths from Metchosin.  I’ll post some of them today; some will have to wait until tomorrow or the day after!   Thanks to Libby Avis for the identifications.

Cerastis enigmatica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Spodolepis danbyi (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Moehr

Egira perlubens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Scott Gilmore sends photographs of a jumping spider.  Jeremy Tatum writes: I had originally tentatively labelled this as a Bronze Jumper Eris militaris.  We are grateful to Robb Bennett for pointing out that it is really Phanias, most likely P. albeolus.  I asked Robb if the things that look like eyes on the top of he cephalothorax really are eyes – and he said yes!  He says that salticids are famous for having 360 degree vision.

Phanias  (probably albeolus) (Ara.: Salticidae) Scott Gilmore

Phanias  (probably albeolus) (Ara.: Salticidae) Scott Gilmore

Phanias  (probably albeolus) (Ara.: Salticidae) Scott Gilmore

   Scott also sends photographs of a small dark-winged fungus gnat that he found indoors.  Genus possibly Bradysia.

Dark-winged fungus gnat, possibly Bradysia sp. (Dip.: Sciaridae) Scott Gilmore

Dark-winged fungus gnat, possibly Bradysia sp. (Dip.: Sciaridae) Scott Gilmore