Category Archives: Insecta

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

Orange-banded checkered beetle

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

As a student of woodboring beetles for more than a quarter-century now, I’ve had occasion to encounter a goodly number of checkered beetles (family Cleridae) – both in the field and as a result of rearing them from dead wood. … Continue reading →

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

Hello World!

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

These are two of the Cylindera celeripes (swift tiger beetle) larvae that I’m rearing.  Note: nobody has ever reared this species before!  Nobody has ever even seen its larvae (before now, that is). These larvae hatched from eggs that were … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Two ladies from Ontario

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

What do bugs and snakes/lizards/frogs/turtles have in common? Yes, they’re both ectothermic, but that is the scientist’s answer. Most folks would say they’re just creepy – girls especially! Well, two ladies from Ontario are proving the latter notion wrong by … Continue reading →

Posted in Curculionidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Josef Knull was wrong!

Posted on April 16, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

A few weeks ago I received an email from Kyle Schnepp, an entomology student at Purdue University.  Kyle has taken on the rather ambitious project of developing an illustrated key to the Buprestidae of eastern North America, for which he has … Continue reading →

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

Mylabris oculatus in South Africa

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Mylabris oculata, the CMR bean beetle, is a large, conspicuously-colored beetle in the family Meloidae (blister beetles) that I saw quite commonly during my stay in South Africa.  “CMR” refers to the Cape Mounted Rifle Corps, a police force in the … Continue reading →

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

Winter Botany Quiz #6 – answers and a checklist

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I thought yesterday’s Winter Botany Quiz #6 would be a fairly difficult, and given the apparent difficulty of my previous quizes (Pismire Puzzle and Tuesday Teaser) I thought I’d give readers a break this week and narrow down the location to the Lake Tahoe area. … Continue reading →

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

Monday Moth: Arniocera erythropyga

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Last week’s king cricket quiz (Tuesday Teaser) reminded me that I still have quite a few photographs from my trip to South Africa, now 10 years ago, that I still haven’t shared. This pretty little moth is Arniocera erythropyga, which I photographed … Continue reading →

Posted in Lepidoptera, Zygaenidae | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The “New” Gromphadorina portentosa

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I don’t pretend to be a photography guru – I’m learning, and though I still have much to learn I’m happy with my progress so far.  The photographs I posted earlier this week of Gromphadorina portentosa, the Madagascan hissing cockroach, … Continue reading →

Posted in Blaberidae, Blattodea | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments