2017 March 27

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Bryan Gates sends us some identification challenges of nematoceran flies from his window.  I am certainly no expert on nematoceran flies, but I think all three of Bryan’s are different from Ken Vaughan’s winter gnat (Trichoceridae) posted on March 20.  The first two of Bryan’s are male and female of doubtless the same species of non-biting midge.  We can’t see the wing venation on the third so I’m slightly less sure of it, but I believe it is a small crane fly  (not, obviously, the familiar Tipula paludosa).  We’d need an expert to go below Family level.   None of them bites humans.

 Male midge (Dip.: Chironomidae)   Bryan Gates

 Female midge (Dip.: Chironomidae)   Bryan Gates

Crane fly (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Bryan Gates

2017 March 26

   Nathan Fisk sends a photograph of a bumblebee from Fort Rodd Hill, March 24.  Sean McCann writes:  Looks to me a lot like Bombus melanopygus, but I may be wrong.  [Jeremy Tatum writes:  Well, I since looked up this species of the Web, and Nathan’s photograph does indeed look a lot like Bombus melanopygus, so I’m sure Sean is not wrong!   Thank you, Sean!]

 Bombus melanopygus  (Hym.: Apidae)   Nathan Fisk

2017 March 24

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  We are struggling with some identification problems at the moment.  The moth below was photographed by Bryan Gates at Saratoga Beach on March 20.   It is either the American Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitata or the Barberry Geometer Coryphista meadii – a notoriously difficult pair.  Libby Avis, Jeremy Gatten and I (Jeremy Tatum) are all leaning towards Triphosa haesitata, so that’s how I’ll label it.

 Probably Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae)    Bryan Gates

.    The second one is a micro moth photographed by Bill Katz at Goldstream Park on March 19.  Jeremy Gatten suggests that the moth is Acleris maccana.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  Thank you, Jeremy, I think you are right.  It seems to be a very variable species, but that line across the middle of the forewing seems to be characteristic.  [Since confirmed by Eric LaGasa – both the identification and the diagnostic character of that line.]

Acleris maccana (Lep.: Tortricidae)   Bill Katz

Jeremy Tatum continues:  We have made some progress with Nathan’s moth on the March 19 posting.  Originally I had labelled it “Possibly Hydriomena sp.”   After closely examining some photographs sent to me by Libby Avis as well as a few other photographs on previous Invertebrate Alert postings, I have decided to label Nathan’s moth Hydriomena nubilofasciata  –  with no ifs, ans or buts!

I came across another beautiful caterpillar of a Large Yellow Underwing moth, Noctua pronuba, at UVic yesterday.  I believe this caterpillar can be found in almost any month of the year.

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Nathan Fisk photographed the spider below at Fort Rodd Hill on March 22.  No difficulty in identifying this one – all one has to do is to ask Robb Bennett, who tells us that it is a female of our local burrowing Antrodiaetus pacificus.  Thank you, Robb.

 Antrodiaetus pacificus (Ara.: Antrodiaetidae)  Nathan Fisk

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  Juan de Fuca Community Trails Society was clearing broom from Whiffin Spit today when I came across these caterpillars getting an early start on the season.  Jeremy Tatum responds:   This is the Silver-spotted Tiger Moth.  They have spent the winter as young caterpillars.  The foodplant looks like Douglas Fir, which is usual.

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

 Rosemary Jorna

 Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Erebidae – Arctiinae) Rosemary Jorna

   Rosemary continues:  And when we got home this little moth was resting on the window screen.  Jeremy responds:  Another identification problem for us!  It is a pug (Eupithecia sp.)   These pugs are difficult, and there are lots of them!  My best guess is that this one might be Eupithecia annulata – but I can’t be certain.

Pug Eupithecia sp. (possibly annulata) (Lep.: Geometridae)  Rosemary Jorna

2017 March 20

   Welcome to Spring, which started at 3:30 PDT this morning. 

   It’s a pretty cold start to the season.  Libby Avis in Port Alberni remarks that it’s the slowest start to the season that she can remember, though she has had a few moths in the past week: 2 Eupsilia tristigmata, 3 Egira hiemalis and several Eupithecia gilvipennata.

   To help those who have no idea what all these long names are:  E. stigmata is a noctuid moth whose caterpillar feeds on various shrubs and low-growing plants (and also on other caterpillars if the opportunity presents itself!).  The moth spends the winter in the adult state, and so is often one of the earliest moths to be seen.  E. hiemalis is also a noctuid.  Its caterpillar feeds on Douglas Fir.  It overwinters as a pupa, and is one of the earliest moths to eclode (emerge) from its pupa.   E. gilvipennata is one of these small, narrow-winged geometrids known as “pugs”, most of which are challenging to identify. E. gilvipennata, however, is considerate enough to be well-marked for a pug, and, although variable, it is usually relatively (as pugs go!) easy to identify.  I have never seen the caterpillar, but it is said to feed on the flowers of Arbutus and Arctostaphylos.

  Libby agrees with my tentative identification of Nathan Fisk’s moth in yesterday’s posting as Hydriomena nubilofasciata or manzanita – more probably the former.

  In the complete absence, so far, of butterflies, and the paucity of moths, contributors are sending me all sorts of challenging invertebrates to identify (and please continue to do so!).  Ken Vaughan sends me the photograph below of  “a fly/midge/mosquito I found in my bathroom.  It didn’t strike me as a run-of-the-mill mosquito.”

Winter gnat (Dip.: Trichoceridae)  Ken Vaughan

  Well (writes Jeremy Tatum), that is a bit of a challenge, though I think we can be certain at the Family level.  It is a winter gnat of the Family Trichoceridae.  We’d need a specialist to go further than that.  If anyone can go down to genus or species level, please do let us know. In spite of what looks like a fierce proboscis, I don’t believe it can bite a human. Viewers may recall that a Gnat appears in Through the Looking-glass, and What Alice Found There.

2016 March 19

   Rosemary Jorna sends an interesting sequence of snail photographs from her garden in Metchosin. She found this 2 ½ cm snail under the leaves in her flower bed, March 17.

Tentatively Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   She picked it up to see if the shell was occupied.  It was – but not by its rightful owner!

Tentatively Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Rosemary waited a while to see if the interloper would come out.  Eventually, it did:

Tentatively Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae)  Rosemary Jorna

  It did a little bit of damage to the larger shell when it came out – not through the front door!

Tentatively Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Rosemary tentatively identifies both of the snails as the Robust Lancetooth Haplotrema vancouverense.  [Agreed – Jeremy] Although the body of this snail is typically whitish, Rosemary tells me that dark-bodied forms exist.  The Robust Lancetooth may look sweet, but is predatory on other animals, such as, according to Robert Forsyth, earthworms, slugs and snails, including their own species.  Whether the smaller one had assassinated and cannibalized the larger one, or had merely found temporary shelter in an empty shell, we leave to the imagination of the viewer.

Nathan Fisk found the little moth below fluttering among the Siberian Miners’ Lettuce yesterday (March18) afternoon in the learning meadow at Fort Rodd Hill.  Jeremy Tatum responds:  This is a rather a worn specimen of  Hydriomena nubilofasciata, the Oak Winter Highflyer.  Moths of the genus Hydriomena are called “highflyers”, though I don’t think they all fly particularly high. Nathan’s moth was obviously quite low!

 Hydriomena nubilofasciata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Nathan Fisk