Category Archives: Coleoptera

Beetles. The largest order of animals with more than 300,000 species in about 2000 genera.

Tips for photographing shiny beetles on yellow flowers

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I really hate starting off this post with the following photo—typically it is the first photo in a post that readers see in syndicated feeds; however, I use it in this post to make a point. This photo was taken … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Another new record for northwestern Oklahoma

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

You would think that finding two new state records on the first day of my June collecting trip to northwestern Oklahoma would be fortune enough—it is rare to get two new state records on an entire trip even! As a … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mexico 1992—Gang of Ten

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

As a young collector attracted to woodboring beetles, my interests were split evenly between the families Buprestidae and Cerambycidae. In those early days, I actively sought the counsel of experts in both families, looking for help with identifications. Most were … Continue reading →

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

The perfectly polyphagous Chrysobothris purpureovittata

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Many species of jewels beetles in North America are known for having some degree of host specificity. This is especially true of species in the genus Chrysobothris, whose members are often restricted to a particular family, genus, or even species of … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The ever-increasing diversity of Oklahoma beetles

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

My idea to return to Oklahoma’s Gloss Mountains this spring actually began taking shape during last year’s fall visit to the area, when I found a single Chrysobothris octocola adult on a dead mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) branch. While common across the southwestern … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

“Rare jewel beetles discovered in Mexico by team of scientists!”

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I hope you’ll excuse the hyperbolic title, but such has been my impression with some of the headlines I’ve seen recently in the popular media regarding newly described insect taxa in various parts of the world. The “discovery” of new species … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Observation and Bias in Biology

Posted on July 5, 2013 by biologistsoup

The following is a guest post by my friend Kent Fothergill. Read more of Kent’s musings at his blog, biologistsoup. Observation is a key activity in scientific inquiry. People who work with insects can make many interesting observations from collected insects: … Continue reading →

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

Cover photo for the June 2013 issue of The Coleopterists Bulletin

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Did anybody think that weevil photograph on the cover of the June 2013 issue of The Coleopterists Bulletin (vol. 67, no. 2) looked familiar? If so, it’s  because you saw it first in my April 28, 2013 post, Giving me the weevil eye! This … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Curculionidae | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments