Author Archives: Ted C. MacRae

About Ted C. MacRae

Ted C. MacRae is a research entomologist by vocation and beetle taxonomist by avocation. Areas of expertise in the latter include worldwide jewel beetles (Buprestidae) and North American longhorned beetles (Cerambycidae). More recent work has focused on North American tiger beetles (Cicindelidae) and their distribution, ecology, and conservation.

BitB Goes dSLR

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

That’s right, I’ve finally acquired a bona fide digital SLR camera system and am taking the plunge into real insect macrophotography. I’ve been playing with my little point-and-shoot over the past 18 months or so, and the more I used … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Tiger Beetle Rearing

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

I recently found an interesting website called Tiger Beetle Rearing.  This website by doctoral candidate Rodger Gwiazdowski in the Joseph S. Elkinton lab, University of Massachusetts, Amherst contains a wealth of information and photographs covering equipment, techniques, and methods for rearing … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Trilogy of Terror

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Last week, Alex at myrmecos tagged me with a fun new meme called These are a few of my favorite stings…. It’s simple – list the things which have stung you (biting doesn’t count), and tag three others for their tales … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Euphorbiaceae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Scarabaeidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Saving endangered species with herbicides

Posted on May 15, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

The latest issue of Cicindela (a quarterly journal devoted to tiger beetles), which arrived in my mailbox last week, features an article coauthored by my good friends Kent Fothergill and Kelly Tindall of Portageville, Missouri, along with lead author Stephen Bouffard … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Blackjack oak “flower”

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

This blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) was found on one of southeastern Missouri’s finest sand prairie relicts a couple of weeks ago on my ‘Annual Birthday Season Opener Bug Collecting Trip.’ Growing near the edge of the prairie at the transition … Continue reading →

Posted in Fagaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Now you see me…

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

…now you don’t! In a previous post, I lamented the fact that I had never actually seen a live antlion larva, or doodlebug (family Myrmeleontidae). Lovers of sand, I’ve seen their famous pitfall traps many times, especially in recent years as I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Myrmeleontidae, Neuroptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Body Invaders

Posted on May 9, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

In keeping with the parasitic theme I established in my last two posts, I happened upon this brief video promotion for a National Geographic special called In the Womb: Extreme Animals which will air this Sunday (May 10). The video … Continue reading →

Posted in Braconidae, Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Newly emerged rabbit bot fly

Posted on May 8, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

First things first – congratulations to Mark Deering (Sophia Sachs Butterfly House, right here in St. Louis) and Rod Rood (Washington State University) for correctly identifying yesterday’s “What the heck?” as the cast puparium of an oestrid bot fly.  Mark eventually staked his claim … Continue reading →

Posted in Diptera, Oestridae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments