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.

Rattlesnakes may be present!

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I don’t know what it is, but even though I am first an entomologist I am also a sucker for snakes. Well, not just any snakes, but rattlesnakes. It must have something to do with my psyche—my favorite color is … Continue reading →

Posted in Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tips for photographing shiny beetles on yellow flowers

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I really hate starting off this post with the following photo—typically it is the first photo in a post that readers see in syndicated feeds; however, I use it in this post to make a point. This photo was taken … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Another new record for northwestern Oklahoma

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

You would think that finding two new state records on the first day of my June collecting trip to northwestern Oklahoma would be fortune enough—it is rare to get two new state records on an entire trip even! As a … Continue reading →

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

Bee Assassin on Coneflower

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

While looking for longhorned beetles on prickly pear cactus (Opuntia phaecantha) at Gloss Mountains State Park, I saw a coneflower that didn’t look quite right—there was nothing on the top, but there seemed to be something on the underside. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Hemiptera, Reduviidae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mexico 1992—Gang of Ten

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

As a young collector attracted to woodboring beetles, my interests were split evenly between the families Buprestidae and Cerambycidae. In those early days, I actively sought the counsel of experts in both families, looking for help with identifications. Most were … Continue reading →

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

Haldeman’s shieldback katydid (Pediodectes haldemani)

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

During my visit to Gloss Mountain State Park (Woodward Co., Oklahoma) this past June, I found an area of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia phaecantha) on the west flats below the main mesa. A few days earlier I had seen cactus … Continue reading →

Posted in Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

The perfectly polyphagous Chrysobothris purpureovittata

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Many species of jewels beetles in North America are known for having some degree of host specificity. This is especially true of species in the genus Chrysobothris, whose members are often restricted to a particular family, genus, or even species of … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Relaxed comment moderation policy

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

During the first few years of writing this blog, I maintained an open comment policy with few restrictions on who could comment. In November 2011, however, I began experiencing a flood of spam comments, and as a result I had … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments