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.

2024 February 11

2024 February 11

  Here are some invertebrates photographed by Ian Cooper in *Colquitz River Park in Saanich and by the 9 km marker on the Galloping Goose Trail in #View Royal early on Feb 7 2024.   Ian’s suggested identifications are given.

Invertebrate Alert has not often had photographs of earthworms – although they are certainly invertebrates!  The default species found in gardens is usually Lumbricus terrestris – the one we all learned about in biology lessons at school!  But this one was not in a garden, and Ian suggests that it might be a native species – Arctiostrotus vancouverensis.  If there are any earthworm specialists among our viewers, please let us know what you think!

 *Possibly Arctiostrotus vancouverensis (Opisthopora: Acanthodrilidae) Ian Cooper

#European Sowbug – Oniscus asellus (Isopoda: Oniscidae)  Ian Cooper

*Harvestman (Opi.: Phalangiidae)  Ian Cooper

Val George writes:  This morning, February 11, this moth, Phigalia plumogeraria, was on the wall of my Oak Bay house, along with two Hydriomena nubilofasciata.

 Male Phigalia plumogeraria  (Lep.: Geometridae) Val George