Category Archives: Arthropoda

Arthropods – insects, arachnids, crustaceans, myriapods, & relatives

Hand-held caddisflies

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

I recently found a folder in my files with a number of photos taken way back in April during a visit to Sam A. Baker State Park in the Ozark Highlands of southeastern Missouri. I never got around to posting them … Continue reading →

Posted in Philopotamidae, Trichoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Black is beautiful!

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

As much love as I give to tiger beetles, I tend to be just as indifferent to the non-cicindeline ground beetles. Why this is I don’t know; ground beetles sensu lato are super diverse taxonomically, morphologically, and ecologically, and the … Continue reading →

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

Gulf Fritillary in southern Missouri

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

I’m not sure, but I think this might be the first time I’ve photographed a butterfly caterpillar. Not a bad subject to start with, as few butterflies have caterpillars that are more colorful than the Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae. A common … Continue reading →

Posted in Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Life at 8X—hibiscus flea beetle

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In mid-August I visited Route 66 State Park along the Meramec River in east-central Missouri to check stands of rosemallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpus) that I had previously noticed growing in the park for the presence of the stunning jewel beetle, Agrilus concinnus. … Continue reading →

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

Monster in the Night

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Stumbling through mixed-grass prairie in the middle of the night can be a little unnerving. The headlamp illuminates nicely the path in front of you, but the area outside the tunnel of light is rendered even blacker. It is there where the … Continue reading →

Posted in Orthoptera, Romaleidae | 7 Comments

Beetle Collecting 101: How to pin a beetle

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

It has been a long time since I initiated my Beetle Collecting 101 series (more than two years!), and to date the first issue—Beetle Collecting 101: Dress for Success—remains the one and only lesson that I’ve posted. I really had intended … Continue reading →

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

The hardest EASIEST ID Challenge in like ever!

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

This is not only the hardest ID Challenge I have ever posted, it is probably the hardest one anyone has EVER posted. I’m not going to ask for order or family because they’re so easy. I will ask for the genus, … Continue reading →

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

Why are this beetle’s elytra outstretched?

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve puzzled over the beetle in the above photo since I first saw it back in September on Day 2 of this year’s Annual Fall Tiger Beetle Trip. I encountered it on a dead branch of eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana) on … Continue reading →

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