2024 December 16

No Invertebrate Alerts were issued on December 14 and 15.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Although there have been no submissions yet (3:00 pm) today, December 16, I am issuing this Alert with an appeal for photographers to visit the Nature House at Goldstream Park to look for and photograph Winter Moths (Operophtera sp.) there.  You’d probably need to go there before Christmas – after Christmas may be too late.  Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to go there myself.

Nearly all Winter Moths that we see in Victoria are the European Winter Moth O. brumata.  However, at Goldstream there is a better than evens chance that you will see and photograph the native Western Winter Moth O. occidentalis.  Photographs of the males are of interest. However, of particular interest would be close-up photos of the wingless females, to see if it is possible to distinguish between the females of the two species.  It probably is possible, but we need to study them.

There is also a small chance of finding the much less common O. danbyi.

2024 December 13

   Jeremy Tatum found this bug in his bedroom this morning.

Halyomorpha halys  (Hem.: Pentatomidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Ian Cooper writes:  Here are several photos from this morning’s photoshoot (December 13, 2024), in *Colquitz River Park and the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.   (The slug was photographed on December 11.)

* Garden Slug  Arion hortensis (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

* Camel cricket Pristoceuthophilus celatus (Orth.: Rhaphidophoridae)  Ian Cooper

# Cross Orb-weaver  Araneus diadematus  (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

# Elongate-bodied springtail Tomocerus sp. (Coll.: Tomoceridae)  Ian Cooper

# Chrysalis of Tiger Swallowtail  Pterourus sp. (Lep.: Papilionidae)   Ian Cooper

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have not yet found a reliable way of distinguishing between the chrysalides of P. rutulus and P. eurymedon.

#Probably a winter gnat  (Dip. – Nematocera:  Trichoceridae)  Ian Cooper

2024 December 12

No Invertebrate Alert was issued on December 11.

Here is another selection of invertebrates photographed by Ian Cooper recently at Colquitz River Park and the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.

Giant House Spider  Eratigena duellica (Ara: Agelenidae)   Ian Cooper

Identification uncertain   Ian Cooper

Bark Louse  Pteroxanium kelloggi ( Psoc.: Lepidopsocidae )   Ian Cooper

European Winter Moth Operophtera brumata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Ian Cooper

Flamed Tigersnail  Anguispira alternata (Pul.: Discidae)   Ian Cooper

Earthworm, possibly Lumbricus terrestris  (Haplotaxida – Lumbricidae)
and Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)
Ian Cooper

Calvia quatuordecimguttata (Col.: Coccinellidae)   Ian Cooper

Lastly, two creatures believed to be larvae of two different species of crane fly.  If anyone can go further with these, please let us know.

Possibly larva of crane fly Dicranota sp. (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Ian Cooper

Probably larva of crane fly Tipula paludosa   (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 December 10

No Invertebrate Alerts were issued on December 8 and 9.

We may soon be getting a bit late for finding and photographing a native Western Winter Moth at the Goldstrean Nature House.

Here are some photographs obtained by Ian Cooper before dawn on the morning of December 9, at *Colquitz River Park in Saanich and by the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.

* Cybaeus sp. (Possibly C. reticulatus ) (Ara.: Cybaeidae)   Ian Cooper

#Forest Spider  Pimoa altioculata (Ara: Pimoidae)   Ian Cooper

#Long-jawed Orb Weaver  Metellina sp. (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)   Ian Cooper

#Snout mite (Acari:  Bdellidae)   Ian Cooper

#Springtail  Orchesella villosa (Coll.: Orchesellidae)   Ian Cooper

#Northwest Hesperian  Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)   Ian Cooper

2024 December 7

No Invertebrate Alerts have been issued since December 1.

Aziza Cooper reports several Winter Moths from her house in Saanich.  We show one of them here. These moths are abundant and ubiquitous at present and are nearly all European Winter Moths Operophtera brumata.  We encourge photographers to visit the Nature House at Goldstream Park and photograph Winter Moths there.  There is a very good chance there that you will photograph the native Western Winter Moth Operophtera occidentalis.  I went there yesterday, and saw only one moth, which I believe to have been O. brumata.  Photographers should go there soon, for it will soon be too late in the season.

European Winter Moth Operophtera brumata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Aziza Cooper

Ian Cooper writes:   Here are eight recent photos taken at *Colquitz River Park in Saanich and the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal between Dec 1 – 5, 2024.

* A very small (2.5 mm) female linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae- Erigoniinae)  Ian Cooper

* A very small (2.5 mm) male linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae- Erigoniinae)  Ian Cooper

# Dusky Arion  Arion subfuscus  (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

* A young, vividly marked Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

Yellow-Bordered Taildroppers Prophysaon foliolatum (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

# Elongate-bodied springtail Tomocerus sp. (Coll.: Tomoceridae)  Ian Cooper

# Globular Springtail  Dicyrtomina minuta f. saundersi  (Coll.: Dicyrtominidae)  Ian Cooper

# Fungus Gnat, possibly Dynatosoma sp. (Dip.: Mycetophilidae)  Ian Cooper