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.

April 6

2018 April 6

 

   Carl Hughes writes: I was uncrating a shipment of natural stone today and a moth flew out. Shipments are fumigated so you would think there is no way anything can survive but I saw it fly out.

 

American Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Carl Hughes

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Alas! The swallowtail chrysalis shown on March 8 was filled with a dozen tachinid maggots.  The maggots came out of the chrysalis case today and promptly pupated.  We show the puparia below.  Perhaps not one of the most attractive of insects.

 

Tachinid puparium (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

Tachinid puparia (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

   Libby Avis sends a photograph of a “beautiful little” (pulchella) moth from Port Alberni this morning.  A “lifer” for Libby – which can’t happen very often!

 


Orthosia pulchella (Lep.: Noctuidae) Libby Avis