2023 September 17

There was no Invertebrate Alert for September 16.

Cheryl Hoyle sends these photographs of an unfamiliar insect from View Royal, September 16.  At first glance both Cheryl and Jeremy Tatum thought that it was a whitefly (Hem.: Aleyrodidae), but had doubts on a closer look.  In particular, see how it holds its wings – rooflike like a lacewing rather than flat like a whitefly.  There are other indications, but it is in fact related to the lacewings, and is in the Order Neuroptera, Family Coniopterygidae, dustywings.  Is the similarity of two insect Families from different Orders an example of convergent evolution?

Dustywing (Neu.: Coniopterygidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Dustywing (Neu.: Coniopterygidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Kirsten Mills writes:

Jeff Gaskin and I spent a full day counting butterflies on the first day of the butterfly count, September 16. We had a grand total of 53 Cabbage Whites. At Goldstream Park there were 2 Mourning Cloaks and 1 Lorquin’s Admiral. Another Lorquin’s Admiral was seen along Finlayson Arm Road. At the end of Anchorage Avenue, a Red Admiral was in some blackberry brambles, and a Painted Lady was by Royal Bay.

Dragonflies seen at Goldstream Park included several Paddle-tailed Darners as well as 3 Shadow Darners and what we think was a Pacific Spiketail. By the Metchosin Golf Course on Pears Road, we saw 3 Cardinal Meadowhawks and one each of Striped and Variegated Meadowhawk and Blue-eyed Darner and a Northern Spreadwing.

Lorquin’s Admiral  Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kirsten Mills

Variegated Meadowhawk  Sympetrum corruptum (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Kirsten Mills

Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum  (Odo.: Libellulidae)
Kirsten Mills