Category Archives: Arthropoda

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

‘Beetles in the Bush’ T-Shirts now available!

I’ve mentioned before my preference for simple cotton t-shirts over fancy pocketed nylon shirts while I’m out in the field (see Beetle Collecting 101: Dress for Success). Lightweight and comfortable under even the most extreme conditions, they do the job cheaply … Continue reading

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

Arriving now in a mailbox near you…

The latest issue of Cicindela (A quarterly journal devoted to Cicindelidae) has just been issued. My copy arrived yesterday and features on the cover a photograph that I took of Tetracha carolina in Florida this past August (original photo and more can be … Continue reading

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

Zygogramma Desmogramma leaf beetles in Argentina

The east end of La Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur in Buenos Aires offers a quiet contrast to the more populated central and western areas. Few people leave the levee-trail system that surrounds the famous wetlands and pampas grass stands in those latter areas; however, those that … Continue reading

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

Return to La Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur

Last March I discovered La Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur—a gem of natural beauty in the heart of Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Though its origins are semi-artificial, its biota a mix of native and introduced species, and its pathways continually choked with pedestrians and … Continue reading

Posted in Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Melyridae, Nymphalidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

“Sunflower looper” – Rachiplusia nu

With a planted area approaching 20 million hectares, soybean has become Argentina’s most important agricultural crop.  Most of the planted area is located within the so-called “Humid Pampas” region of central Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Santa Fe and Entre Rios … Continue reading

Posted in Lepidoptera, Noctuidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

A Brazilian longhorned beetle – Oxymerus aculeatus

I was going through photographs from my visit to Brazil this past January and came across this forgotten photo of a longhorned beetle taken near Campinas in São Paulo.  Although I didn’t recognize the genus immediately, I was rather sure … Continue reading

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

Cicindela albissima—The Coral Pink Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle

The week had started off good, with three species of western sand dune endemic tiger beetles (Cicindela formosa gibsoni, C. scutellaris yampae, and C. arenicola) and a variety of sometimes spectacular Crossidius longhorned beeltes having been encountered.  Mid-week, however, had brought a lull in our … Continue reading

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

Isn’t she splendid?!

This gorgeous female Cicindela splendida emerged recently from one of my rearing containers.  She was one of several 3rd instar larvae that I collected this past June from their burrows in a dolomite glade in southeastern Missouri.  I had suspected they might represent this … Continue reading

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