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.

June 14

2015 June 14

 

   Sorry, no June 13 posting – too tired!

 

   Annie Pang sends photographs of an upper- and underside of a Western Tiger Swallowtail from Gorge Park, June 12.  She notes that they enjoy nectaring on Himalayan Blackberry, but they appear to ignore the native Mock Orange blossom.

 

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Annie Pang

 

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Annie Pang

 

 

    Bill Katz sends a photograph of a Scallop Shell moth from UVic’s Finnerty Gardens.

 Scallop Shell Rheumaptera undulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Bill Katz.

He also sends a photograph of Eupithecia unicolor  from his Summit Hill Garage.

 Eupithecia unicolor (Lep.: Geometridae) Bill Katz

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I went to Metchosin yesterday as part of the Bioblitz to see if I could find any caterpillars.  Not very many, and it was too hot for me to stay out long, but

I did find caterpillars of Western Spring Azure, Red Admiral and Milbert’s Tortoiseshell.

 

   The moth below emerged yesterday from a pupa formed by a caterpillar found in March in Mount Douglas Beach Park, which is where I released it yesterday.  I had some difficulty in identifying it at first, because I have never seen a specimen of this species so strongly and boldly marked.  It is the Brown Angle Shades.  Richard South, writing of its European counterpart over 100 years ago, wrote that the moth, when newly emerged from its pupa, is an “exceedingly beautiful creature”.  I think he was right – don’t you?  This species is best known from its habit of resting with its wings folded in pleats.  When it was freshly emerged, it didn’t do this – another thing that made me fail to recognize it immediately.   The usual appearance of this moth here is like the one shown on 2011 September 6.  To access the archival photographs on the site, scroll to the bottom and press END.  Then go again to the bottom and you’ll find a list of months, which you can click on.

 

Brown Angle Shades Phlogophora periculosa (Lep.;  Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

 

 

   Aziza Cooper writes:  James Miskelly reminded me that I haven’t posted my list of sightings from our trip to Mt Cokely road last weekend. Here it is:

  1. W Tiger Swallowtail
  2. Pale Swallowtail
  3. Anise Swallowtail
  4. Clodius Apollo
  5. Margined White
  6. Sara’s Orangetip
  7. Western Sulphur
  8. Cedar Hairstreak
  9. Grey Hairstreak
  10. Brown Elfin
  11. Western Pine Elfin
  12. W Tailed Blue
  13. Silvery Blue
  14. W Spring Azure
  15. Boisduval’s Blue
  16. Zephyr Comma
  17. Mourning Cloak
  18. Painted Lady
  19. Hydaspe Fritillary
  20. Mylitta Crescent
  21. Lorquin’s Admiral
  22. Persius Duskywing
  23. Arctic Skipper
  24. Two-banded Checkered Skipper

 

   Scott Gilmore writes: My son and I found a very interesting tiny rove beetle flying across our front lawn yesterday evening – Megarthrus pictus.   [Jeremy Tatum writes:  Scott doesn’t say how big this beetle is, but I found a reference that says length 3 mm – so this is quite a remarkable photograph!]

 

Megarthrus pictus (Col.: Staphylinidae) Scott Gilmore