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.

Rattled in the Black Hills

Posted on September 24, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

My first day in the Black Hills of South Dakota was spent at McNenny State Fish Hatchery near Spearfish – on the north side of the Black Hills. I went to this place on the advice of my esteemed colleagues … Continue reading →

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

In Memoriam – Gayle H. Nelson

Posted on September 23, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

It was a very productive first day in the Black Hills of South Dakota, with several rather significant finds. However, I’m going to forego an update on these and instead dedicate this post to the memory of my friend and … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Goin’ fishin’

Posted on September 22, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

For the past two days I’ve been in Sioux County, Nebraska – just east of Wyoming and just south of South Dakota. As I traveled up through the western panhandle to arrive at this spot, I was pleasantly surprised by … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Digging tiger beetles

Posted on September 20, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

After driving almost 600 miles on Friday, I was ready for some tiger beetle action. A quick 2-hour drive this morning got me to the first set of localities in extreme southwestern Nebraska and just across the border into Colorado … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A hunting we will go!

Posted on September 18, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Maps have been prepared. Relevant emails from my esteemed colleagues to the northwest have been read and re-read. Summary sheets on the distribution, biology, and biogeography of the many different species I hope to encounter are in hand. Google Earth … Continue reading →

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

“All the better to see you with, my dear!”

Posted on September 12, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Click me! Cicindela formosa (the big sand tiger beetle) is a not uncommon species that occurs across much of North America east of the Rocky Mountains in deep, dry, open sand habitats. It is absent in Appalachia and much of … Continue reading →

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

The Loess Hills in Missouri

Posted on September 5, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

The term Mountains in Miniature is the most expressive one to describe these bluffs. They have all the irregularity in shape, and in valleys that mountains have, they have no rocks and rarely timber. – Thaddeus Culbertson, missionary, 1852 One … Continue reading →

Posted in Acrididae, Agavaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Asteraceae, Cerambycidae, Coleoptera, Fabaceae, Orthoptera, Poaceae, Scarabaeidae, Scrophulariaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Trichinorhipis knulli

Posted on August 24, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Just a little diddy on one of the more interesting species I’ve encountered over the years while I finish up a longer piece on the Loess Hills of Missouri. The specimen shown here is a male Trichinorhipis knulli. This quirky … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments