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.

April 7

2018 April 7

 

   Rosemary Jorna photographed two tiny invertebrates in the Kemp Lake area.  First a springtail, and we are indebted to Dr Frans Jannsens for identifying it to subfamilial level:

 

Springtail (Entomobryomorpha: Tomoceridae – Tomocerinae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

Second, a flat-backed millipede.  Thomas Barbin recalled having photographed (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8607841) a similar one some time ago, which was identified as probably Scytonotus sp.

Probably Scytonotus sp. (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae)

Josemary Jorna

 

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Since I am an astronomer, I have to insist absolutely that Spring began at precisely 2018 March 20d 14h 59m PDT, though a prolonged cold period since, followed by a prolonged grey and rainy period makes this hard for some to accept.  Some insist that Spring doesn’t really begin until the first Orangetips appear.  Well I am glad to report that Nathan Fisk wrote yesterday from Fort Rodd Hill Learning Meadow: One or two Sara Orangetips flitting about the buttercups and sipping from the dew. What a wonderful sight!

 

Jochen Moehr reports a bounty of moths from Metchosin.  I’ll post some of them today; some will have to wait until tomorrow or the day after!   Thanks to Libby Avis for the identifications.

Cerastis enigmatica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Spodolepis danbyi (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Moehr

Egira perlubens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

 

Scott Gilmore sends photographs of a jumping spider.  Jeremy Tatum writes: I had originally tentatively labelled this as a Bronze Jumper Eris militaris.  We are grateful to Robb Bennett for pointing out that it is really Phanias, most likely P. albeolus.  I asked Robb if the things that look like eyes on the top of he cephalothorax really are eyes – and he said yes!  He says that salticids are famous for having 360 degree vision.

 

Phanias  (probably albeolus) (Ara.: Salticidae) Scott Gilmore

Phanias  (probably albeolus) (Ara.: Salticidae) Scott Gilmore

Phanias  (probably albeolus) (Ara.: Salticidae) Scott Gilmore

   Scott also sends photographs of a small dark-winged fungus gnat that he found indoors.  Genus possibly Bradysia.

 

Dark-winged fungus gnat, possibly Bradysia sp. (Dip.: Sciaridae) Scott Gilmore

Dark-winged fungus gnat, possibly Bradysia sp. (Dip.: Sciaridae) Scott Gilmore