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.

The 12 Years of Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

This post first appeared on Beetles in the Bush on Christmas Day 2008. Two years have passed, but the sentiment remains stronger than ever. I reprint it here as BitB‘s single evergreen post. Merry Christmas! They came from completely different … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Cicindela denverensis – green claybank tiger beetle

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Here are a few more photographs of the insect featured in ID Challenge #1, which is, in fact, Cicindela denverensis (green claybank tiger beetle).  Nearly every commentor got the first 6 points easy enough (2 pts each for order, family, and genus), but … Continue reading →

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

ID Challenge #1

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Okay, this isn’t really the first ID challenge I’ve had on this site, but the first in a series that is formally named such.  I’ll be offering these up occasionally to fill the void left by the suspension of Alex’s … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , | 28 Comments

Pseudoxycheila tarsalis – remounted

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to mounting beetles. That is, I mount them so that they take up minimal space – legs tucked neatly and symmetrically against each side of the body and antennae laid straight … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , | 34 Comments

AIF #11, HoH #12

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

An Inordinate Fondness #11 – Kindergarten Kunstkammer is hot off the press, and you MUST read it! Adrian Thysse, the polymath behind The Bug Whisperer (as well as Voyages Around My Camera, A Natural Evolution, and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Centraal), adopts an … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

ESA in absentia

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) held its 58th Annual Meeting earlier this week in San Diego, California. For those of you who were unable to attend, I’ve included a link to a poster that I and coauthors Chris Brown … Continue reading →

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

A First Class Box of Beetles

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Warning: post contains lots of hardcore, beetle-collector geekery! A few weeks ago I got an email from fellow buprestophile Henry Hespenheide (Professor Emeritus, UCLA) asking if I needed any specimens of Agrilus coxalis auroguttatus – recently dubbed the “goldspotted oak borer” after it was discovered damaging … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Cleaning Tiger Beetles

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

This is Cicindela scutellaris (festive tiger beetle), one of the six species of tiger beetles that we found last September at Monroe Canyon in the Pine Ridge area of northwestern Nebraska.  The red elytra and green head and pronotum are characteristic of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments