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.

Cicindela limbata – epilogue

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

In my Lucky 13 post, I featured Cicindela limbata (sandy tiger beetle) from north of Grand Island, near the easternmost edge of the Nebraska Sandhills. This species is restricted to dry sand blow out and dune habitats away from water, … Continue reading →

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“My favorite bettle”

Posted on December 6, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Today’s essay is by guest blogger (and perhaps future entomologist), Madison MacRae. Currently a 3rd grade student at Pond Elementary School, Madison’s interests include ice skating, tetherball, basketball, piano, dancing, singing, and hiking/bug collecting with her dad. Next year they … Continue reading →

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Cicindela scutellaris lecontei x scutellaris unicolor intergrades in southeast Missouri

Posted on November 3, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Cicindela scutellaris (festive tiger beetle) is widely distributed in the U.S., having been recorded from most areas east of the Rocky Mountains except Appalachia, the lower Mississippi River delta, and south Florida. Within this range, the species occupies deep, dry … Continue reading →

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A sand prairie autumn

Posted on October 27, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Ask any astronomer when autumn begins, and they will likely tell you it begins at the autumnal equinox – when shortening days and lengthening nights become equal as the sun crosses over the celestial equator. According to them, fall began … Continue reading →

Posted in Ascalaphidae, Asilidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Coreidae, Crabronidae, Diptera, Fabaceae, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Myrmeleontidae, Neuroptera, Poaceae, Polygonaceae, Sphecidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

It’s a girl!

Posted on October 15, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve been interested in collecting insects since I was 10 years old, and my current collection dates back to spring semester 1978 when, after finally declaring a major, I kicked off my life as an entomologist with Entomology 101. I … Continue reading →

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Tigers in the Nebraska Badlands

Posted on October 9, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

In going back through the photos I accumulated during my recent “fall tiger beetle trip” and reading the periodic updates that I provided along the way, I fear that I gave unfairly short shrift to one of the most scenic … Continue reading →

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Lucky 13

Posted on September 28, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

The last day in the field on an extended collecting trip is always bittersweet for me. Throughout the trip I keep a frenetic pace trying to see as much as possible – the more localities you visit, the greater your … Continue reading →

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Sand Hills Success

Posted on September 27, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Having explored the Pine Ridge of northwestern Nebraska and the Black Hills of South Dakota, it was time to turn my attention to the vast central Nebraska Sand Hills. My original plan was to leave the Pine Ridge area early … Continue reading →

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