Category Archives: Coleoptera

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

Tragidion confusion

Posted on February 2, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Back in October, I discussed a recent review of the cerambycid genus Tragidion, authored by Ian Swift and Ann Ray and published in the online journal Zootaxa.  These gorgeous beetles mimic the so-called “tarantula hawks” (a group of large, predatory … Continue reading →

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

Done with dung, meat please!

Posted on January 30, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

“No feces for this species.” “Carnivorous dung beetle shuns dung and decapitates millipede.” “Little dung beetle is big chopper.” “Dung beetle mistakes millipede for dung.” These were some of the clever headlines that I had to compete with in coming … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Diplopoda, Scarabaeidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Christmas in January

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

One of the ironies about collecting insects is that the winter months can be just as busy as the summer months, sometimes more so. Despite the lack of insect activity during these short, cold days, I actually find myself at … Continue reading →

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

Tyrant ground beetles

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

I return to my Afrikaans theme with a distinctive group of ground beetles (family Carabidae) called tyrant ground beetles or spotted ground beetles (tribe Anthiini). I think I prefer the former. This tribe is largely restricted to Africa and is … Continue reading →

Posted in Carabidae, Reptilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Review of Calodema and Metaxymorpha

Posted on January 8, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Insects are not only the most diverse group of animals in the world, they are also among the most beautiful.  Beetles, of course (with apologies to any lepidopterists that may be reading this), are responsible for a hefty slice of this … Continue reading →

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

Top Ten of 2008

Posted on January 1, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

For the first post of 2009, I begin with a look back at some of my favorite photos from 2008 (idea stolen from Alex Wild and others).  I initially hesitated to do a “best photos” post since I’m not really … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae, Asilidae, Asteraceae, Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Cupressaceae, Diptera, Onagraceae, Reptilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Cicindela lengi vs. Cicindela formosa

Posted on December 28, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Back to beetle blogging – I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday break as much as I. One of the tiger beetles that I most hoped to see on my trip to Nebraska and South Dakota last September was Cicindela lengi … Continue reading →

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

You messin’ with me?

Posted on December 23, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

This is another one of the tiger beetles I brought back alive from the Sandhills of western Nebraska since I was unable to get any good photographs of this species in the field.  If this photo looks familiar, you may … Continue reading →

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