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.

BitB on NBN

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I’m sure all of you have by now heard of Nature Blog Network. At more than 1,000 member blogs, it is THE nexus for the nature blog community. Consisting of a toplist that ranks websites based on pageviews (including separate toplists … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , | 11 Comments

North America’s largest jewel beetle

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

In recent weeks I’ve featured a few jewel beetles that I have encountered amongst specimens sent to me for identification (see “Aaack!-maeodera” and “Acmaeodera carlota in northern Arizona“).  While the new distributions and even unknown species that they represent are fascinating from … Continue reading →

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

Tuesday Tarantula

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

One of my destinations on my annual fall tiger beetle collecting trip last October was The Glass Mountains in northwestern Oklahoma. Rising from the red Permian beds of the central Great Plains, the Glass Mountains are a series of mesas … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Acmaeodera carlota in northern Arizona

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

This is another of the interesting species that I encountered during my examination of material submitted for identification this past winter.  Acmaeodera carlota is one of 149 species/subspecies in North America belonging to this very difficult genus (recall my recent … Continue reading →

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

March Carnivalia

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

It’s a new month, and that means a new crop of blog carnival issues. I have my favorites that I follow, and since I’m not hosting anything this month (for once!) I thought I’d give you my take on these … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Tiger Beetle Aggregation

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Not long ago, I received an interesting series of photographs from Joe Warfel, a nature photographer and macro specialist based in Massachussetts.  Joe traveled to Arizona last July, where he photographed an aggregation of Cicindela (Cicindelidia) sedecimpuntata (Western Red-bellied Tiger … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Euhagena nebraskae in Kansas

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

One of my favorite destinations for insect collecting is the Gypsum Hills region in Barber County of south-central Kansas.  I first went there in May 1986 after seeing a diverse selection of more typically Texan Buprestidae that J. Richard Heitzman, an … Continue reading →

Posted in Lepidoptera, Sesiidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Monday Ménage – Brachyleptura rubrica

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

This mating pair of longhorned beetles represents Brachyleptura rubrica, one of several so-called “flower longhorns” (including the rare Typocerus deceptus) that I saw on flowers of Hydrangea arborescens last June at Trail of Tears State Park in southeastern Missouri.  Flower … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments