2021 March 15

 

   Ian Cooper continues to show us the remarkable range of unfamiliar creatures that he is finding at night along the Galloping Goose Trail and Colquitz Creek Park.  Thanks to Drs Robb Bennett and Frans Janssens for a huge amount of help with the spiders (Robb) and springtails (Frans).

 

 Female Clubiona lutescens (Ara.: Clubionidae) Ian Cooper

   In  describing his encounters with trapdoor spiders, Ian writes:  After visiting Colquitz River Park, I went to the GG 9km observation site before dawn today (March 14) and was pleasantly surprised to spot multiple resident trapdoor spiders of various sizes ‘on duty’ at their burrow entrances along the embankment by the trail, including some very tiny ones. The newly discovered larger spiders generally retreated into their lairs as my light and camera got too close for comfort, so it was hard to get a good close up shot of them. One of the smaller spiders slammed its folding doors in my face when it suddenly withdrew. Shocking and rude, but cute to see!

 

Trapdoor spider – Antrodiaetus pacificus (Ara.-Myg.:  Antrodiaetidae) Ian Cooper

   Ian continues:  I also spotted a Jumping Bristletail for only the second time.  I was lucky to see it, as its grey coloring made it barely visible against the tree bark it was on.

 

Jumping Bristletail (Microcoryphia:  Machilidae) Ian Cooper

The remaining animals below are all springtails from various Families – some would say various Orders.

 

Left: Dicyrtomina minuta f. couloni (Coll.: Dicyrtomidae)

Right: Male Orchesella cincta (Coll.: Orchesellidae)

Ian Cooper

Genus uncertain (Coll.: Tomoceridae – Tomocerinae)  Ian Cooper

Ptenothrix sp. (Coll.: Dicyrtomidae) Ian Cooper