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.

New species and a review of the genus Tragidion

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Species of Tragidion are among the larger and more attractive cerambycids in North America, making them popular among collectors. Their bright orange and black coloration clearly functions in mimicking spider wasps (family Pompilidae) in the genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis – … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Deciding on science

Posted on October 20, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

I hope you’ll forgive my momentary diversion into politics for this post. I’m not normally one to ‘proseletize’, and I promise to return to my normal subject matter in the next post. But at this moment we find ourselves on … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , | 8 Comments

It’s a girl!

Posted on October 15, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve been interested in collecting insects since I was 10 years old, and my current collection dates back to spring semester 1978 when, after finally declaring a major, I kicked off my life as an entomologist with Entomology 101. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tigers in the Nebraska Badlands

Posted on October 9, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

In going back through the photos I accumulated during my recent “fall tiger beetle trip” and reading the periodic updates that I provided along the way, I fear that I gave unfairly short shrift to one of the most scenic … Continue reading →

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

Collection Inventory update

Posted on October 7, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

The more observant – and taxonomically inclined – among my readers may have noticed the sidebar item entitled, “T. C. MacRae Collection”. The links within that item lead to Google documents detailing the species in those groups of insects that … Continue reading →

Posted in Asilidae, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Mutillidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Megacyllene comanchei revisited

Posted on September 30, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

On my recent trip, I reported finding the rarely collected Megacyllene comanchei at several localities in northwestern Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota. These are significant findings, since they not only represent new records for both states, but also an impressive … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Lucky 13

Posted on September 28, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

The last day in the field on an extended collecting trip is always bittersweet for me. Throughout the trip I keep a frenetic pace trying to see as much as possible – the more localities you visit, the greater your … Continue reading →

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

Sand Hills Success

Posted on September 27, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Having explored the Pine Ridge of northwestern Nebraska and the Black Hills of South Dakota, it was time to turn my attention to the vast central Nebraska Sand Hills. My original plan was to leave the Pine Ridge area early … Continue reading →

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