Category Archives: Insecta

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

Magnificently Monstrous Muscomorphs

Posted on November 11, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

I suppose tiger beetles have gotten more than their fair share of attention here lately, so for this post I thought I’d highlight insects of a completely different group – flies! Admittedly, as a coleopterist, I tend to view flies … Continue reading →

Posted in Asilidae, Bombyliidae, Diptera, Mydidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Cicindela scutellaris lecontei x scutellaris unicolor intergrades in southeast Missouri

Posted on November 3, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Cicindela scutellaris (festive tiger beetle) is widely distributed in the U.S., having been recorded from most areas east of the Rocky Mountains except Appalachia, the lower Mississippi River delta, and south Florida. Within this range, the species occupies deep, dry … Continue reading →

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

A sand prairie autumn

Posted on October 27, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Ask any astronomer when autumn begins, and they will likely tell you it begins at the autumnal equinox – when shortening days and lengthening nights become equal as the sun crosses over the celestial equator. According to them, fall began … Continue reading →

Posted in Ascalaphidae, Asilidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Coreidae, Crabronidae, Diptera, Fabaceae, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Myrmeleontidae, Neuroptera, Poaceae, Polygonaceae, Sphecidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

New species and a review of the genus Tragidion

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

Species of Tragidion are among the larger and more attractive cerambycids in North America, making them popular among collectors. Their bright orange and black coloration clearly functions in mimicking spider wasps (family Pompilidae) in the genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis – … Continue reading →

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

It’s a girl!

Posted on October 15, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve been interested in collecting insects since I was 10 years old, and my current collection dates back to spring semester 1978 when, after finally declaring a major, I kicked off my life as an entomologist with Entomology 101. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tigers in the Nebraska Badlands

Posted on October 9, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

In going back through the photos I accumulated during my recent “fall tiger beetle trip” and reading the periodic updates that I provided along the way, I fear that I gave unfairly short shrift to one of the most scenic … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Collection Inventory update

Posted on October 7, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

The more observant – and taxonomically inclined – among my readers may have noticed the sidebar item entitled, “T. C. MacRae Collection”. The links within that item lead to Google documents detailing the species in those groups of insects that … Continue reading →

Posted in Asilidae, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Mutillidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Megacyllene comanchei revisited

Posted on September 30, 2008 by Ted C. MacRae

On my recent trip, I reported finding the rarely collected Megacyllene comanchei at several localities in northwestern Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota. These are significant findings, since they not only represent new records for both states, but also an impressive … Continue reading →

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