2018 February 11

 

   Jeremy Gatten writes:  Here are some of the moths I’ve mentioned.  In addition to those mentioned from last weekend, I had Lithophane pertorrida at my place in Saanichton during the wee hours of February 8th

 

Jeremy Tatum writes:  This is an interesting bunch.  The three noctuids are among those moths that spend the winter in the adult state, reappearing early in the year.  Lithophane georgii is a new moth for this site. Homoglaea dives has appeared only once before, in September 2013.  The caterpillars of Lithophane  are best reared separately from other caterpillars – they are not wholly vegetarian!  Hydriomena manzanita is another “highflyer” (see February 7 for another one) – though not at all a very typical one. It’s also not a very typical geometrid, for it holds its wings “portrait” like a noctuid, rather than “landscape” like a typical geometrid. Its caterpillar feeds on Arbutus  and presumably also Manzanita. It enters diapause in the late summer, and pupates sometime during the winter.

 

Lithophane georgii (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Gatten

Lithophane pertorrida (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Gatten

Homoglaea dives (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Gatten

Hydriomena manzanita (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Gatten

 

Below is a photograph of a Yellow-bordered Taildropper, sent by Bud Logan and photographed by his son Robert from Sayward.  We’ve had this slug on this site just once before – on 16th September 2016.

 

Yellow-bordered Taildropper Prophysaon foliolatum (Pul.: Anadeniidae)  Robert Logan