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 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