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.

Introducing Chrysobothris caddo

This set of photographs comes from my June 2009 trip to northwestern Oklahoma, which I found at Boiling Springs State Park in Woodward County. They represent only the second buprestid species that I attempted to photograph with my (then) new … Continue reading

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

The Marvelously Cryptic Dicerca lurida

This is Dicerca lurida (family Buprestidae), another of several woodboring beetle species that I found on the trunk of a large, wind-thrown mockernut hikcory (Carya alba) tree during my early April hike of the lower Wappapello Section of the Ozark Trail.  Actually, I … Continue reading

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

May Beetles and Herps

Issue #4 of An Inordinate Fondness is up at xenogere, and once again Jason Hogle has unleashed his natural talent as a blog carnival host in fine form.  Join Jason on a meandering road trip across the continent and back, … Continue reading

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The Moth and Me #11

Welcome to issue #11 of The Moth and Me, the monthly carnival devoted to the “forgotten” lepidopterans. Most people – even entomologists – regard these as the lesser leps, denizens of the night, as if to hide their somber-colored drabness … Continue reading

Posted in Arctiidae, Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Notodontidae, Psychidae, Saturniidae, Sphingidae, Zygaenidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

BitB Gets a Facelift

How do you like the new look? This is the just-released Enterprise theme from StudioPress.  Truth be told, I’ve been looking for a new theme for a while now to replace the MistyLook theme that I adopted when I first … Continue reading

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged | 17 Comments

Waiter, there’s a fly on my fungus…

On my recent season-opening-birthday-bug-collecting-trip in Sam A. Baker State Park, Rich and I happened upon a large grape (Vitis sp.) vine hanging from a tree in the bottomland forests along Big Creek. Draped over a foot-long section of the lower … Continue reading

Posted in Diptera, Drosophilidae | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

A Horridus Birthday

For many years now, I’ve celebrated my birthday each year with the “season-opener-birthday-bug-collecting-trip.”  This happens regardless of what day of the week it falls (although two years ago I did get roped into a business trip – I made up … Continue reading

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera, Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

Hitchin’ A Ride

One of the more common species of longhorned beetles (family Cerambycidae) in Missouri, and throughout the eastern U.S., is Stenosphenus notatus.  Despite its commonness, however, it is a species that is easily overlooked because of its very early seasonality, emerging … Continue reading

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera, Pseudoscorpiones | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments