Category Archives: Cicindelidae

Tiger beetles. Adults are agile predators in open areas such as stream banks and beaches; a few species are wingless and on tree trunks. Larvae are ambush predators living in vertical tunnels of soil or wood.

Revisiting the Swift Tiger Beetle – Part 1

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

When my hymenopterist friend, Mike Arduser, came back from his first trip to Oklahoma’s Four Canyon Preserve last September, my first thought upon seeing his photos of the area was, “Ooh, that looks like a good place for tiger beetles!” … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Dryinidae, Hymenoptera, Mammalia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Four Canyon Preserve, Oklahoma

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

On my recent week-long collecting trip, the first three days were spent at Four Canyon Preserve in far northwestern Oklahoma.  This nearly 4,000-acre preserve features a stunning landscape of rugged, wooded canyons dissecting ridges of mixed-grass prairie which provide critical habitat for … Continue reading →

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

Treatise of Western Hemisphere “Cicindelitae”

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Tiger beetles have long enjoyed a popularity that is disproportionate to their diversity, abundance, and economic importance relative to other groups of beetles. This seems as much due to their charismatic behavior – toothy jawed predators in extreme habitats – … Continue reading →

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

Third time’s a charm!

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

This post may seem like déjà vu to some of you, as it is my third featuring our common woodland tiger beetle species, Cicindela sexguttata (six-spotted tiger beetle). However, this post is as much a photography lesson as it is … Continue reading →

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

A new look at an old friend

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Chris Wirth just wrote a nice post summarizing the use of digital SLR camera systems for insect macrophotography.  Having just gone through the process of upgrading to a dSLR system from a point-and-shoot myself, I can relate to much of … Continue reading →

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

BitB Goes dSLR

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

That’s right, I’ve finally acquired a bona fide digital SLR camera system and am taking the plunge into real insect macrophotography. I’ve been playing with my little point-and-shoot over the past 18 months or so, and the more I used … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Tiger Beetle Rearing

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

I recently found an interesting website called Tiger Beetle Rearing.  This website by doctoral candidate Rodger Gwiazdowski in the Joseph S. Elkinton lab, University of Massachusetts, Amherst contains a wealth of information and photographs covering equipment, techniques, and methods for rearing … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Saving endangered species with herbicides

Posted on May 15, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

The latest issue of Cicindela (a quarterly journal devoted to tiger beetles), which arrived in my mailbox last week, features an article coauthored by my good friends Kent Fothergill and Kelly Tindall of Portageville, Missouri, along with lead author Stephen Bouffard … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments