Category Archives: Coleoptera

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

Another happy customer!

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I see that Delbert La Rue at Crooked Beak Workshop has received my package and is happy with its contents! Copyright © Ted C. MacRae 2013

Posted in Cerambycidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Featured Guest Photo: A Spectacular Case of Mimicry

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

On occasion I receive photos from readers that are so remarkable I simply must share them (with the owner’s permission, of course). Recently I received a note from Len de Beer in Maputo, Mozambique, who was looking for help identifying a … Continue reading →

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

A jewel of a beetle

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I really wish I had a photomicrography setup like the one that Sam Heads has at the University of Illinois for imaging preserved specimens. Alas, insect taxonomy is “just a hobby” for me, and any specimen photography I wish to do must … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Backyard gems

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve been fortunate to have the chance to travel far and wide in my searches for insects—from the Gypsum Hills of the Great Plains and Sky Islands of the desert southwest to the subtropical riparian woodlands of the Lower Rio Grande … Continue reading →

Posted in Betulaceae, Buprestidae, Coleoptera, Cupressaceae, Orchidaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Diffusion versus post-processing, or perhaps something even better?

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

One of the comments on my post Diffuser comparisons for 100mm macro lens was by Stephen Barlow, one of the original “concave diffuser” advocates, who claimed that the “dead” appearance of Photo #4 was an artifact of post-processing and not really a problem … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Texas Prick

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Recently my friend Kent Fothergill launched a series of posts ranting about discussing the difficulties associated with common names. The inaugural post featured the insect I show here, Dectes texanus, a member of the family Cerambycidae (longhorned beetles) that has gained … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 47 Comments

How to collect larvae of Amblycheila cylindriformis

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Step 1. Go to your favorite grassland habitat in the western half of the Great Plains anywhere from Texas north to South Dakota and look for barren soil amongst the vegetation. Clay banks near streams or in ravines and even vertical clay … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

You know what bugs me about dung beetles?…

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Okay, I know this isn’t a true dung beetle, but this earth-boring scarab (family Geotrupidae) is close enough that I’ll take the opportunity to use one of my favorite dung beetle jokes.¹ This is one of several individuals that I … Continue reading →

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