Category Archives: Coleoptera

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

What’s so special about this beetle?

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Regular readers of this blog might recognize this as the swift tiger beetle, Cylindera celeripes. This tiny, flightless beetle was once common in the central Great Plains; however, the species has experienced dramatic declines over the past century due to near … Continue reading →

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

Manduca vs. Amblycheila

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Which one do you think will win? Copyright © Ted C. MacRae 2010 Email to a friend

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

Eastern Red-Bellied Tiger Beetle

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Last summer, while looking for North America’s most beautiful longhorned beetle in the dolomite glades of southwest Missouri’s White River Hills, I also came across good numbers of a tiger beetle species that I had previously considered rather uncommon in the … Continue reading →

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

Guest Blogger: Dogbane for Dinner

Posted on July 15, 2010 by annemccormack

Our guest blogger for today is Anne McCormack. I have known Anne (or known of her) for more than 25 years now, first as a long-time editor of Nature Notes, the journal of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Apocynaceae, Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera, Hesperiidae, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Plantae, Vespidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Special Delivery

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Entomology is, of course, a wide and varied discipline that touches any number of human endeavors – from the practical (agriculture, food production, public health) to the esoteric (genetics, ecology, cultural symbolism).  Despite this far-reach, however, entomologists themselves are not … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , | 34 Comments

Vicarious Friday Beetle Blogging

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Despite the fact that I have a beetle blog and Alex has an ant blog, it is the latter where the regular series Friday Beetle Blogging resides (hmm, I wonder if I should start a Myrmecine Monday series?).  Alex has perhaps … Continue reading →

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

Hunting the Great Plains giant tiger beetle

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

In the early 1980s, I was a young, green entomologist, fresh out of school with a budding interest in beetle taxonomy, a zeal for collecting, and a desire to meet other like-minded individuals. Among the first collectors I had the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Amblycheila success!

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I love it when a plan comes together! Another one was caught after these photos for a total of five individuals. They’ve been setup for now in a container of native soil. I hope you’ll forgive these rather rushed photos … Continue reading →

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