Category Archives: Buprestidae

Jewel Beetles, metallic woodboring beetles. About 15,000 species worldwide. Larvae are predominantly borers in trunks and branches of dead or dying woody plants, occasionally living plants are attacked. Some species form galls or mine leaves.

Lampetis drummondi larva?

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Back in February, I learned that Mark Volkovitsh (Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg) would be visiting Chuck Bellamy (California Department of Food and Agriculture) in Sacramento the very week that I was planning to be in Lake Tahoe. … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 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 →

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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

Aaack!-maeodera

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Warning: post contains hardcore, taxonomic, sciencey geekiness! Just as there is seasonality in the lives of insects, there is seasonality in the work of those who study them.  For the collector/taxonomist, everything revolves around the collecting season — time spent on … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Oklahoma is for lovers

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

A few rather risqué photos from my June trip to northwestern Oklahoma. Photo details: Eleodes suturalis: Canon 100mm macro lens on Canon EOS 50D, ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/13, MT-24EX flash 1/4 power through diffuser caps. Chrysobothris ignicollis: Canon 65mm … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

The “obscure” Dicerca

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

During my recent trip to northwestern Oklahoma, we visited Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area, a 17,000-acre chunk of land containing mixed-grass prairie, shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) shrublands, and mesic woodlands along the South Canadian River.  In one of these woodlands, I encountered a … Continue reading →

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Brachys on oak

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Although the beetles I photographed for my springtime Acmaeodera post are among the smaller buprestids occurring in Missouri, they are by no means the smallest. That honor belongs to the curious little genus Mastogenius, measuring only around 2 mm in … Continue reading →

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Springtime Acmaeodera

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Last weekend I mustered up the courage to begin experimenting with the 1-5X macro lens with my new camera. I had played around with it a little, trying to get a feel for finding the subject (it seemed hard) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments