Monthly Archives: September 2011

Cicindela formosa gibsoni… or not!

Posted on September 29, 2011 by

Last Friday I began the 2011 Annual Fall Tiger Beetle Trip™. This year’s edition was actually a last-minute change—my original plans to collect wood for rearing wood-boring beetles in south Texas thwarted by that state’s long and continuing drought (along … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

ID Challenge #12

Posted on September 27, 2011 by

This should be a relatively easy ID Challenge compared to previous editions—2 points each for the correct order, family, genus, species, and subspecies.  Additional points will be awarded on a discretionary basis for relevant natural history comments.  Standard challenge rules apply, including moderated comments … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , | 29 Comments

My Canon 8X Macro Lens

Posted on September 25, 2011 by

For the past few months I have started routinely using extension tubes with my 100mm macro lens for photographing tiger beetles. I do this primarily because for most tiger beetles and other insects in the smallish to medium-sized range I … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , | 37 Comments

A cicindelophilic wish list

Posted on September 23, 2011 by

Cicindelia obsoleta vulturina disjuncts bolting across lichen-covered sandstone balds. Cicindela scutellaris yampae—red, white and blue in all its glory! Big, bold, hugely white Cicindela formosa gibsoni bouncing across the sand. Cicindela arenicola dancing across the St. Anthony dunes. Hugely-mandibled male … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Not all Florida tiger beetles are rare

Posted on September 22, 2011 by

I fear my recent series of posts from Florida might leave readers with the impression that all of that state’s tiger beetle species are rare endemics occurring in tiny remnants of relictual habitats and encountered only by the most intrepid collectors enduring the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Two things I love about glades during fall…

Posted on September 20, 2011 by

…prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) in bloom… …and prairie tiger beetles (Cicindelidia obsoleta vulturina) on the prowl… On the last weekend of August I made another trip to the White River Hills of north-central Arkansas in a last gasp effort to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Crazy Eyes

Posted on September 17, 2011 by

Spissistilus festinus (three-cornered alfalfa hopper) is one of the few truly economic pests in the otherwise bizarre and innocuous family Membracidae (treehoppers).  Its common name alludes to one of the crops it affects, but my encounters with this species are most often in soybean … Continue reading →

Posted in Hemiptera, Membracidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 70 Comments

Mini-review of the Cicindelidia abdominalis species-group

Posted on September 14, 2011 by

Now that I have seen and photographed in the field all four species of the Cicindelidia abdominalis species-group, I thought some might find it useful to have a summary of each species with comparisons, photographs and a key to distinguish … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments