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.

ID Correction: Megaloxantha bicolor palawanica

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

In a few previous posts (here and here), I used a particularly large jewel beetle specimen as a subject to test several different flash diffusers I was working on. I chose that particular specimen because of its large size (necessitating … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

ID Challenge #22: The Bone Collector

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

After a long hiatus, it is time to resurrect BitB Challenge Session #7 with this very unusual ID Challenge. Some of you may know (and most probably don’t) that, among my many other hobbies, I am a bit of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Mammalia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

Why did it take 30 years to collect these beetles?

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

This is the best known of the American species of Poecilonota, and the one most commonly collected east of the Rocky Mountain.—Evans (1957) I’ve been interested in insects since I was a kid, but I didn’t really become a dedicated … Continue reading →

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

The wondrously and eerily beautiful Mono Lake

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

During my recent Great Basin collecting trip, we stopped briefly at one of my favorite places in the world—Mono Lake in eastern California. My last visit was almost 20 years ago, so it was a thrill for me to see … Continue reading →

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

Stalking tigers in Argentina

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Most of you know that I have spent a lot of time in Argentina over the years, and while most of my time there has been for work I have had a fair bit of opportunity to collect insects as … Continue reading →

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

Party on a pin oak

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

In September 2012 while collecting in western Oklahoma (Weatherford) I came across this interesting scene. It had been exceedingly dry in the area, and because of this few insects were out and about in the small city park that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Diptera, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Mutillidae, Nymphalidae, Sarcophagidae, Scarabaeidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

A belated Happy Birthday

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

It seems that November 24th came and went without me even realizing that BitB turned six years old that day! Six years—wow, has it really been that long? I guess forgetting birthdays officially puts me in the old-timer camp (both … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Lycidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Pedantic Sunday: Blister beetles don’t suck

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

The beetle featured in today’s photo is the blister beetle (family Meloidae), Nemognatha cribraria cribraria. The genus Nemognatha and its relatives in the subfamily Nemognathinae are distinctive due to the greatly elongated adult mouthparts that are modified for feeding on flowers. Specifically, parts … Continue reading →

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