Category Archives: Insecta

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

ID Challenge #19

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Here is a bit of a different ID Challenge—can you identify the beetles represented in the photo, but more importantly can you deduce what all of these beetles have in common (other than the fact that they belong to the same family)? Obviously … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

One-Shot Wednesday: two-striped grasshopper nymph

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

As the heat of summer solidifies its chokehold over the middle and southern latitudes of North America, grasshopper nymphs will begin to ramp up their development. I see grasshoppers commonly in my soybean field trials, where their feeding presents more … Continue reading →

Posted in Acrididae, Orthoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sea Grape Flatid – Petrusa epilepsis

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

The argid sawfly Sericoceros krugii wasn’t the only insect I saw associated with seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) during my May trip to Puerto Rico. While exploring the magnificent coastal sand dune system near Isabela (northwestern Puerto Rico), I encountered a tree with literally dozens of frosty, … Continue reading →

Posted in Flatidae, Hemiptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

West Indian seagrape sawfly

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

I spent a few days in Puerto Rico last month. A quick in-and-out for work, there was little chance to do any real exploring. Nevertheless, I booked my return on the last possible flight out so that I would have at … Continue reading →

Posted in Argidae, Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

More on Chalcosyrphus

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Here are two more photos of the fly I tentatively identified as Chalcosyrphus sp. The first photo shows the all-black coloration with no trace of either steel blue highlights (seen in C. chalybea) or red abdominal markings (seen in C. piger). … Continue reading →

Posted in Diptera, Syrphidae | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

T.G.I.Flyday – Chalcosyrphus?

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

When I was an entomology student, I learned that flies in the family Syrphidae are called “hover flies,” due to their habit of hovering in front of flowers, and that the larvae are predators of aphids. As is the case for … Continue reading →

Posted in Diptera, Syrphidae | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Beetle botanists

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

While Dicerca pugionata (family Buprestidae) is, for me, the most exciting beetle species that I’ve found in Missouri associated with ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius). it is not the only one. The beetles in these photographs represent Calligrapha spiraeae, the ninebark leaf beetle (family Chrysomelidae). Unlike … Continue reading →

Posted in Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Just published: Cicindela 44(1) March 2012

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Issue 44(1) of the journal Cicindela is now hitting mailboxes. This one-paper issue features an article by Chandima D. Dangalle and Nirmalie Pallewatta (University of Colombo, Sri Lanka) and Alfred P. Vogler (The Natural History Museum, London) reporting the results of a survey of tiger … Continue reading →

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