Category Archives: Cerambycidae

Longhorned beetles, roundheaded woodboring beetles. About 24,000 species worldwide. Predominantly borers in trunks and branches of dead and dying woody plants. A few species attack living trees and are regarded as economic pests.

Hairy milkweed beetle

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Across the Great Plains of North America, sand dune fields dot the landscape along rivers flowing east out of the Rocky Mountains. Formed by repeated periods of drought and the action of prevailing south/southwest winds on alluvium exposed by uplifting … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A winter longhorned beetle

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

According to the calendar it’s still autumn; however, in practical terms winter has settled in across much of the U.S. For those of us who study wood-boring beetles in the families Buprestidae (jewel beetles) and Cerambycidae (longhorned beetles), our time … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Q: How do you photograph cactus beetles?

Posted on November 24, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

A: Very carefully! This past June I went out to one of my favorite spots in northwestern Oklahoma—Alabaster Caverns State Park in Woodward Co. The park, of course, is best known for its alabaster gypsum cavern—one of the largest such in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cactaceae, Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

How to pack and ship pinned insect specimens

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Even though I don’t work in a museum, sending and receiving pinned insects is a routine activity for me. As a collector of beetles with some expertise in their identification, I’ve had opportunity to exchange with or provide IDs to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 50 Comments

GBCT Beetle #5: Crossidius coralinus monoensis

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

After spending the first four days of our Great Basin Collecting Trip (GBCT) traveling around west-central Nevada, we dropped down into California and traveled south next to the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada towards Mono Basin. We had two goals … Continue reading →

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

GBCT Beetle #4—Crossidius hirtipes rubrescens

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Linsley & Chemsak (1961) characterize the longhorned beetle species Crossidius hirtipes as “probably the most diverse species within the genus.” Occurring throughout the Great Basin and adjacent areas, the variability it expresses in punctation, color, elytral pattern and pubescence have resulted in the … Continue reading →

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

Under Blood Red Skies

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

At the start of my recent Great Basin collecting trip, I found myself presented with a rather unique and unanticipated photographic opportunity. As I landed in Reno, Nevada, the then 6-day old Rim Fire was already well on it’s way to … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

GBCT Beetle #1: Crossidius hirtipes immaculatus

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

In my recent Great Basin Collecting Trip (GBCT) overview, I provided some general comments about the longhorned beetles in the genus Crossidius that were the focus of the trip and, in many cases, photographs of the habitats in which the beetles were … Continue reading →

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