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.

2024 October 31 morning

2024 October 31 morning

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a lateral view of the (by now full grown) caterpillar shown on October 25.  How would you like to find this one in your salad?

 

Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

 

Here are some creatures photographed last night at Colquitz River Park, circa 3 – 4 a.m. by Ian Cooper:

 

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

Bark Louse Probably Graphopsocus cruciatus (Psoc.: Stenopsocidae)   Ian Cooper

Female linyphiine spider (Ara.:  Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)   Ian Cooper

Woodlouse Hunter Spider  Dysdera crocata  (Ara.: Dysderidae)   Ian Cooper

Common Chrysalis Snail  Lauria cylindracea – (Pul.: Lauriidae)   Ian Cooper

Camel Cricket  Pristoceuthophilus celatus (Orth.: Rhaphidophoridae)   Ian Cooper

2024 October 30 evening

2024 October 30 evening

More pictures from Ian Cooper’s Oct 28 & 29 photo shoots.

European Sowbug – Oniscus asellus (Isopoda: Oniscidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Common Rough Woodlouse  Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Porcellionidae)  Ian Cooper
plus unknown fly

  

Globose springtail, Dicyrtomina ornata f. saundersi (Collembola – Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae)
Ian Cooper

 

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

 

Unidentified male linyphiine spider  (Ara.: Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)

 

Yellow-bordered Taildropper Prophysaon foliolatum (Pul.: Anadeniidae)

2024 October 30 morning

2024 October 30 morning

More pictures from Ian Cooper’s Oct 28 & 29 photo shoots.
We start with a difficult bug, which Charlene Wood managed to track down to tribal level.  She writes:  “This is a mirid – in the Dicyphini tribe. Elongate with base of scutellum exposed. ”   While we cannot be certain beyond this, it seems probable that this is Dicyphus hesperus.

 

Probably Dicyphus hesperus (Hem.: Miridae – Bryocorinae – Dicyphini)  Ian Cooper

Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)   Ian Cooper

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae) Ian Cooper

 

Common Rough Woodlouse  Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Porcellionidae)
and Grey Field Slug  Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)
Ian Cooper

Banana slug  Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae)   Ian Cooper

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)   Ian Cooper

2024 October 29

2024 October 29

   Jeff Gaskin writes:    I saw a Painted Lady again at the north summit of Christmas Hill at approximately 2:20 p.m. today. It was still there at 2:30 p.m. when I left.  Two Cabbage Whites to report.  One was on Maddock Avenue near Qu’Appelle Street the Gorge area, and the other Cabbage White to report was seen by Kirsten Mills behind Hillside Centre.

 

Here are some pictures from Ian Cooper’s latest photo shoot in View Royal – October29.

Pacific Sideband Snail  Monadenia fidelis  (Pul.: Xanthonychidae)   Ian Cooper

   This snail has been placed in the past in the Family Bradybaenidae, or Monadeniidae, but these Family names are no longer used, and the snail is now placed in Xanthonychidae.   It also at one time bore the name Faithful Snail.

 

Robust Lancetooth Snail  Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae.)   Ian Cooper

 

Northwest Hesperian Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)
 or Pygmy Oregonian Cryptomastix germana (Pul.: Polygyridae)
Ian Cooper

 

Flat-backed Millepede  Scytonotus sp. (Diplopoda:  Polydesmidae)   Ian Cooper

Elongate-bodied springtail Tomocerus sp. (Collembola – Tomoceridae)   Ian Cooper

Jumping bristletail Pedetontus (possibly saltator) (Microcoryphia:  Machilidae)   Ian Cooper

 

 

 

2024 October 28

2024 October 28

   Val George writes:  This morning, October 28, there were three Autumnal Moths Epirrita autumnata on the walls of the Nature House at Goldstream Park.   [Dead on time!, writes Jeremy Tatum.]

 

Autumnal Moth Epirrita autumnata   (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

 

Jeff Gaskin writes:   Today, October 28th, Kirsten Mills saw a Cabbage White on Kings Road between Blanshard Street and Quadra Street, Victoria.

 

Ian Cooper writes:   Here are six pictures from my overnight photoshoot at View Royal near the 9 km marker.

Snail-eating Beetle  Scaphinotus angusticollis (Col.: Carabidae)  Ian Cooper

Ground Beetle  Pterostichus sp. (Col.: Carabidae)  Ian Cooper

Harvestman, probably Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Female Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

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

Banded Garden Snail  Cepaea nemoralis (Pul.: Helicidae)  Ian Cooper