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.

July 7

2016 July 7

 

    Aziza Cooper writes:  Tuesday, July 5, the VNHS Tuesday birding group went to Panama Flats. We saw one Lorquin’s Admiral, one Western Tiger Swallowtail, 5 or 6 European (Essex) Skippers and numerous Cabbage Whites. A very spiky brown caterpillar was on the trail, a black and yellow bee on thistles and some interesting bugs on Queen Anne’s Lace (Wild Carrot).

 

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Thanks to Linc Best for identifying the bee.

Bombus vosnesenskii (Hym.: Apidae)  Aziza Cooper

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Well, neither of the insects on the Daucus carota is a bug.  The one on the left is an ichneumonid, and the one on the right is a cantharid beetle.   Beyond that I cannot go – but we would welcome suggestions.

 

Ichneumonid (Hym.: Ichneumonidae), and soldier beetle (Col.: Cantharidae) Aziza Cooper

 

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I knew what the “very spiky brown caterpillar” was going to be before I saw the photograph!   Don’t handle these caterpillars – they can give you a nasty rash!  The caterpillars feed on various shrubs of the Families Rosaceae and Caprifoliaceae.

 

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae) Aziza Cooper

 

 

 

 

The June 29 Invert Alert reported Red Admirals from several localities, but I somehow managed to miss one reported on that date from Nanoose Bay, by Mike Yip. Here it is, a little late – my apologies!  Jeremy

 

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

Mike also sends a picture of a very pretty “micro” – Pyrausta perrubralis – from Nanoose Bay today.

 

Pyrausta perrubralis (Lep.:  Crambidae)  Mike Yip

 

 

   Libby Avis sends a photo of a male velvet ant  Dasymutilla sp. from Rathtrevor Provincial Park, July 5th 2016.  These insects are more closely related to wasps than to ants, and the wingless females have a reputation of having an exceedingly painful sting.  This is the first velvet ant that we have had on this site.

 

Velvet Ant Dasymutilla sp. (Hym.: Mutillidae)  Libby Avis

 

 

 

Rosemary Jorna photographed a sand wasp at Witty’s Lagoon today, July 7.

 

Sand wasp Bembix americana (Hym.: Crabronidae)  Rosemary Jorna