2016 October 18

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Did I say that the Invert Alert season is almost over?  Our contributors are proving me wrong, with another interesting batch of creatures.

   Twice recently (October 11 and 17) we have had photographs of bark lice.  Thanks to Dr E. Mockford (University of Illinois) for identifying these for us – and thanks to Dr Rob Cannings for putting me in touch with Dr Mockford.

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  This weather is bringing out the snails. I met this small Pacific Sideband Snail Monadenia fidelis  near the Charters River Salmon Interpretative Centre off Sooke River Road.  There should be Vertigo Snails on their Big Leaf Maples, I’ll have to look but we were there to see the newly arrived Salmon. It is a really good viewing spot. What a wonderful gift Dr Joyce Clearihue gave to the community when she bought that land for the CRD, which made the Centre possible.

Pacific Sideband Snail Monadenia fidelis (Pul.: Bradybaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Libby Avis sends photographs of two caterpillars from Cameron Lake, October 12.  The first looks quite like the Habrosyne scripta caterpillar shown on September 21, except that the white spots (mimcry of tachinid eggs?) are much lower down on the abdomen – they are usually on the thorax of H. scripta.  We suspect that Libby’s caterpillar may actually be Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides.

Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides (Lep.: Drepanidae – Thyatirinae)  Libby Avis

Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides (Lep.: Drepanidae – Thyatirinae)  Libby Avis

Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides (Lep.: Drepanidae – Thyatirinae)  Libby Avis

  Her second caterpillar has the black diamonds on the back which seem to be characterstic of Polia nimbosa.

 Polia nimbosa (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Libby Avis

Polia nimbosa (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Libby Avis

Polia nimbosa (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Libby Avis

2016 October 17

   Sending your contributions to Invert Alert.   For some time the heading at the top of Invert Alert suggested that you send your contributions (photographs and observations) to invertalert@naturevictoria.ca    We have found it much more efficient, however, if you send your contributions direct to Jeremy Tatum at jtatum@uvic.ca, which most of you have been doing anyway, and we have changed the instructions on the heading to the site accordingly.

   The bark lice and book lice comprise a not-very-well-known Order Psocoptera.  They are tiny and inconspicuous insects, and not often photographed, so it is amazing for Invert Alert to receive two excellent photographs of bark lice within a few days.  Hot on the heels of Liam Singh’s bark louse (October 11 posting), comes one from Kemp Lake Road by Rosemary Jorna.   Thanks to Dr E. Mockford for the identification

Bark louse Graphopsocus cruciatus (Pso: Stenopsocidae)   Rosemary Jorna

2016 October 16

  This stormy weather hasn’t prevented invertebrate-seekers from finding some interesting creatures.

Rosemary Jorna writes:  It looks as if I may have caught two of those tiny Nearctula sp. snails mating this afternoon. They are so small I did not realize there were two until I down-loaded about 20 minutes later. There were at least six out and active, the bark was so wet. I went back to see if I could get a clearer photograph but I could not relocate them. I am sending them because you may know if there is a biologist somewhere trying to understand more of their life cycle. I would be interested in figuring out how to study them myself.

Well, is there a malacologist reading this who might like to respond?  Please contact jtatum at uvic.ca if you are interested.

Nearctula sp.  (Pul.: Vertiginidae)  Rosemary Jorna

2016 October 15

   Devon Parker reports sightings of a Cabbage White and a Red Admiral from Fonyo Beach, October 11.  You’ll see that yesterday’s posting also gave sightings of one each of these same two species, also on October 11.  Unsurprisingly, there have been no further reports of butterflies since the arrival of the first of the promised three storms. But don’t give up – if we have a nice spell there might still be a butterfly or two on the wing.

2014 October 14

   Jeff Gaskin writes that he saw a Cabbage White at Gorge Road West on October 11.  He also draws attention to a posting by Cheryl Redhead on the Birding in British Columbia site of a sighting of a Red Admiral in Beacon Hill Park on October 11.

  Jeremy Tatum writes: As I did in January of this year and last, in January 2017 I shall post on this site a summary of butterfly sightings for 2016.