INVERTEBRATE ALERT
This blog provides an informal forum for terrestrial invertebrate watchers to post recent sightings of interesting observations in the southern Vancouver Island region. Please send your sightings by email to Jeremy Tatum (tatumjb352@gmail.com). Be sure to include your name, phone number, the species name (common or scientific) of the invertebrate you saw, location, date, and number of individuals. If you have a photograph you are willing to share, please send it along. Click on the title above for an index of past sightings.The index is updated most days.

March 21

2016 March 21

 

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a rough stink bug Brochymena sp. from his Saanich apartment.

 

Brochymena sp.: (Hem.: Pentatomidae)   Jeremy Tatum

 

 

   Scott Gilmore writes, from Upper Lantzville:  At the beach on Saturday (March 19) there were flies everywhere on the rocks at low tide. I decided to investigate. With the help of John Carr they were identified as being from the genus Oedoparena from the family Dryomyzidae. Turns out the larval stage of these flies eat barnacles which explains the location. There are three species world wide with two of them in North America, one of which is known from Canada. That along with a few features led me to conclude that it fits with the descriptions of Oedoparena glauca. There are not too many marine insects!   If you want to know more (or even too much) about this crazy group this is a pretty good article

 

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/56140

 

 Oedoparena glauca  (Dip.: Dryomyzidae)   Scott Gilmore

Oedoparena glauca  (Dip.: Dryomyzidae)   Scott Gilmore

 

March 19

2016 March 19

 

   Jeremy Tatum sends photographs of two insects from his Saanich apartment this morning.

 


Anthrenus verbasci (Col.: Dermestidae)    Jeremy Tatum

Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

  Val George reports his first butterfly of the year – a Mourning Cloak on Mount Douglas, yesterday, March 18.

 

  Rosemary Jorna sends a photograph of a spider from her garden in Kemp Lake Road, March 17.  Thanks to Robb Bennett for identifying it for us.  He writes:  A classic Pardosa wolf spider – high head and relatively long and spindly legs. Usually difficult to identify from photographs, but I think the image is of Pardosa vancouveri  –  it is the most common dark Pardosa around here at this time of year. Other genera of wolf spiders in our area are usually more heavy-bodied and with thicker head and lower heads.

 

Pardosa vancouveri (Ara.: Lycosidae)    Rosemary Jorna

March 16

2016 March 16

Gerry and Wendy Ansell write:  We finally got our first butterfly of the year – a Sara Orangetip on Christmas Hill this afternoon.

 

 

March 15

2016 March 15

Scott Gilmore sends pictures of a Garlic Glass Snail from his garden in Lantzville.  This snail is noted for its strong smell of garlic. (The scientific name alliarius means garlic.)  If you have installed the latest in computer technology and place your face near to the image on the screen, you may be able to detect the odour.  He also sends a picture of an American Lappet Moth, being the adult of the very caterpillar that was shown on this site on 2015 August 15.  Near the bottom of the picture you can see a small oval object.  It is indeed “oval” – that is, it is an egg laid by the moth.

 

Oxychilus alliarius (Pul.: Daubebariidae)  Scott Gilmore

Oxychilus alliarius (Pul.: Daubebariidae)  Scott Gilmore

 

American Lappet Moth Phyllodesma americana (Lep.:  Lasiocampidae)  Scott Gilmore

 

March 13

2016 March 13

 

   Nathan Fisk sends a photograph of the moth Enchoria lacteata from Francis/King Park, March 12.  He writes that there were about 20 of them there.

 


Enchoria lacteata (Lep.: Geometridae)               Nathan Fisk