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.

September 20

2017 September 20

 

Sorry – no posting yesterday (September 19).

 

Today we have two syrphid flies, and we are grateful to Jeff Skevington and Andrew Young for their identification.  The first one, perched on an anemone, was photographed by Jochen Moehr in Metchosin.

 

Meliscaeva cinctella (Dip.: Syrphidae) Jochen Moehr

   The second one was photographed on Pender Island in July by Ren Ferguson

 

Polydontomyia curvipes (Dip.: Syrphidae) Ren Ferguson

 

The spider below was photographed yesterday by Rosemary Jorna in the Kemp Lake area of Otter Point.  We are grateful to Robb Bennett for identifying it for us as a fenmale Araneus saevus  or Araneus nordmanni.  Its head is hidden by its massive abdomen.

 

Araneus saevus/nordmanni (Ara.: Araneidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Araneus saevus/nordmanni (Ara.: Araneidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum shows a caterpillar of Pheosia rimosa  on an Aspen leaf from Munn Road.

 

Pheosia rimosa (Lep.: Notodontidae) Jeremy Tatum