Category Archives: Insecta

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

Clown beetle surprise

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

As I slowly scanned my flashlight through the darkness across the mixed-grass prairie in the Glass Mountains of northwestern Oklahoma last July, there was one thing that I hoped not to see (prairie rattlesnake, unless from afar) and one thing … Continue reading →

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

“A good photographer is invisible…”

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Yesterday I shot down to the southeastern lowlands of Missouri to spend some quality time in the field with friend and fellow cicindelophile Kent Fothergill. We were primarily looking for migrants of the Ascendent Tiger Beetle (Cicindela trifasciata ascendens), a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cicindela – A quarterly journal devoted to Cicindelidae

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Being a cicindelophile (i.e., a tiger beetle enthusiast), I have on occasion highlighted articles published in the journal Cicindela (“A quarterly journal devoted to Cicindelidae”) (see previous post – also here, here and here).  This delightful little journal is the now … Continue reading →

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

Bruneau Sand Dune tiger beetles caught in the act!

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

The newest issue of CICINDELA (“A quarterly journal devoted to Cicindelidae”) contains an interesting article by my good friend and fellow tiger beetle enthusiast Kent Fothergill, who presents a fascinating sequence of photos documenting a field encounter with a mating pair … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

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

What’s more difficult to see…

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

…than a Trimerotropis latifasciata (broad-banded grasshopper) adult on lichen-encrusted clay exposures? Answer: A T. latifasciata nymph on lichen-encrusted clay exposures. My thanks to David J. Ferguson for confirming my initial ID as a species of Trimerotropis and provisionally placing these individuals as T. … Continue reading →

Posted in Acrididae, Orthoptera | Tagged , , , , , | 20 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

The marvelously monstrous Microstylum morosum

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

A few weeks ago, while waiting to begin my nocturnal hunt for the Great Plains giant tiger beetle (Amblycheila cylindriformis) in northwestern Oklahoma, I spent the daytime atop one of the red flat-topped mesas that meander through the area in nearby Gloss Mountain State … Continue reading →

Posted in Asilidae, Diptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments