Category Archives: Insecta

Insects – Collembola, Protura, Diplura, Archaeognatha, Thysanura & Pterygota (winged insects).

Beetle Collecting 101: How to rear wood-boring beetles

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve been collecting wood-boring beetles for more than three decades now, and if I had to make a list of “essential” methods for collecting them I would include “beating,” “blacklighting,” and “rearing.” Beating is relatively straightforward—take a beating sheet (a square … Continue reading →

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

The sublimely beautiful Crossidius coralinus caeruleipennis

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Before driving up into the White Mountains to look for Crossidius hirtipes nubilus and see the grotesquely beautiful trees at Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, we made a short two-mile drive north of our hotel in Bishop, California to try our hand … Continue reading →

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

Clouded beetles amidst spectacular scenery

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

“Westerly from Westgard Pass is a view equaled in few parts of America. In the middle distance, a dozen miles away and nearly a mile below, lies the fertile Owens Valley, extending at right angles north and south over a … Continue reading →

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

What was that insect?

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Yesterday I posted an identification challenge of a different sort. The main subject in the photo was a jewel beetle (family Buprestidae), but there was also another insect in the photo—a small parasitic wasp sitting on the branch below the beetle. … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GBCT Beetle #6: Crossidius ater

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

It’s been a long time since my last update on the beetles that I collected during my Great Basin Collecting Trip last August. GBCT Beetle #6 is the longhorned beetle, Crossidius ater (family Cerambycidae). This species is easily distinguished from other species in … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera | 2 Comments

Receiving a shipment of insects for identification…

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

…is like Christmas all over again! The sight of a newly delivered box sitting outside my office brings on a rush of excitement. The sight of an enormous box is even more exciting. I know what’s inside is gonna be good, … Continue reading →

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

Pop! goes the beetle

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Last June while collecting beetles from cottonwood trees at Beaver Dunes State Park, Oklahoma, I came across one of my favorite beetles—Alaus oculatus, or eyed elater (family Elateridae, or click beetles). Large by click beetle standards, the most striking feature … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Elateridae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Beetles by Chuck

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

A few months before his passing last August, Chuck Bellamy asked me if I was would like to have his photographic slide collection. I was, of course, deeply honored by this request, for in addition to becoming one of the … Continue reading →

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