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.

2022 April 18

2022 April 18

Jochen Möhr writes, from Metchosin:  Eupithecia ravocostaliata – I presume.  Jeremy Tatum replies:  E. ravocostaliata is one of our largest pugs and is distinctively marked.  One would think that it would be easy to identify.  Unfortunately, it has a look-alike cousin  –  E. nevadata.   I’m sure there must be an obvious difference between the two, but I have not yet figured out a completely reliable way of telling which is which.  If anyone out there knows, please let us know.  Until then, it’ll have to remain an either/or.

Eupithecia ravocostaliata/nevadata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Note added later, by Libby Avis:

I think this one is probably Eupithecia nevadata – lighter brown & larger triangular shaped brown mark along the top (costa) of the wing opposite the discal spot. Like this one on Bug Guide:

https://bugguide.net/node/view/1505131/bgimage

Jeremy Tatum adds:  It’s well worth having a look at the Bug Guide site that Libby gives – the image there certainly does look very like Jochen’s.