Category Archives: Insecta

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

One-shot Wednesday: swamp milkweed leaf beetle

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Technically this photograph of Labidomera clivicollis (swamp milkweed leaf beetle) doesn’t qualify as a “one-shot”, as I did take a few other shots as well. However, this was the only shot out of the handful that I didn’t throw away. It’s not … Continue reading →

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

My, what busy palps you have!

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

In mid- to late summer, the swamps of southeast Missouri and adjacent areas along the Mississippi River become awash in color as stands of hairy rose mallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpus) put forth their conspicuous, white and pink blooms. I’ve been waiting for the mallows to … Continue reading →

Posted in Gryllidae, Orthoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Southern armyworm feeding on soybean

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Here is another animated gif that I made recently, this one showing a late-instar larva of southern armyworm (Spodoptera eridania) feeding on soybean (Glycine max). This polyphagous species is widely distributed from the southern U.S. through the northern half of South America … Continue reading →

Posted in Lepidoptera, Noctuidae | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Digger wasps in action

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Here is an animated gif that I made from a series of photographs of the digger wasp, Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus (ID courtesy of Doug Yanega), digging a burrow in a sand bank in extreme southeastern Missouri (it’s amazing what you can do … Continue reading →

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

Stag and “stagette” beetle

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Last month I posted some photos of the very “stag beetle-ish” looking longhorned beetle, Parandra polita. Chestnut brown in color with large, forward projecting mandibles, this member of the longhorned beetle subfamily Parandrinae looks almost nothing like longhorned beetles in other subfamilies but very … Continue reading →

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

A time of reckoning

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. I’m not normally one to quote Bible passages, but this line from Acts 2:20 seems appropriately ominous … Continue reading →

Posted in Braconidae, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Sphingidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Buprestis tree

Posted on August 10, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

After collecting Chrysobothris seminole at the type locality in Georgia and Chrysobothris orono the following day at South Cumberland State Park in Tennessee, I thought my trip last May with fellow buprestophiles Josh Basham and Nadeer Youseff was a complete success. I had … Continue reading →

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

Proof that it’s possible to ship large, pinned beetles safely!

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Those who have followed this blog for awhile know that I’ve been on a bit of a rant during the past few months about the way pinned insect specimens are packed and shipped. This has been prompted primarily by the receipt of several … Continue reading →

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