2021 March 26

 

   For me (writes Jeremy Tatum) one of the more interesting of the creatures that Ian Cooper has been photographing in recent days (and nights!) is the animal below.  I was sure that it was the caterpillar of a small moth, but I simply could not figure out what Family it was.  Well, it sure fooled me – it is not a moth caterpillar after all.  Dr David Wagner,  Charlene Wood and Ian himself have all identified it as the larva of a soldier beetle (Cantharidae).  This one was photograhed by Ian on lichens on a tree trunk.   This is the second interesting beetle larva to appear on these pages this week.  See also March 24 morning.

 

Soldier beetle larva  (Col.: Cantharidae)  Ian Cooper

 

 

   The animal below is probably the larva of a crane fly – probably Tipula paludosa. Also seen in the photograph are several tiny snails.  The larger of them, with the columnar shells, are probably Lauria cylindracea.  The smaller ones are probably of a different family.

 

Probably Tipula paludosa (Dip.: Tipulidae)   Ian Cooper

 

Unknown earthworm   (Oligochaeta)  Ian Cooper

Dark-bodied Glass Snail Oxychilus draparnaudi (Pul.: Daubebariidae ) Ian Cooper

Upper, probably Lauria cylindracea (Pul.: Lauriidae)

Lower – unknown!      Ian Cooper

 

   The snail below has had several English names, one of which is Leopard Slug – from the colour form shown below, a form that Ian says he doesn’t see very often.

 

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)   Ian Cooper

 

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

 

Arion distinctus (Ara.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Sheetweb spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae)   Ian Cooper

 

Ptenothrix sp. (Coll.: Symphypleona,  Dicyrtomidae)  Ian Cooper