Category Archives: Arthropoda

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

Not all Florida tiger beetles are rare

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

I fear my recent series of posts from Florida might leave readers with the impression that all of that state’s tiger beetle species are rare endemics occurring in tiny remnants of relictual habitats and encountered only by the most intrepid collectors enduring the … Continue reading →

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

Two things I love about glades during fall…

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

…prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) in bloom… …and prairie tiger beetles (Cicindelidia obsoleta vulturina) on the prowl… On the last weekend of August I made another trip to the White River Hills of north-central Arkansas in a last gasp effort to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Crazy Eyes

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Spissistilus festinus (three-cornered alfalfa hopper) is one of the few truly economic pests in the otherwise bizarre and innocuous family Membracidae (treehoppers).  Its common name alludes to one of the crops it affects, but my encounters with this species are most often in soybean … Continue reading →

Posted in Hemiptera, Membracidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 70 Comments

Mini-review of the Cicindelidia abdominalis species-group

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Now that I have seen and photographed in the field all four species of the Cicindelidia abdominalis species-group, I thought some might find it useful to have a summary of each species with comparisons, photographs and a key to distinguish … Continue reading →

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

Return to Nowhere

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Back to some hard-core, field natural history.  Two years ago, on my virgin experience at collecting tiger beetles in Florida, I visited a spot called “Road to Nowhere”¹ at the suggestion of North American Tiger Beetle Master Dave Brzoska.  He said … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Another account of the recently rediscovered Cicindelidia floridana

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Back in August I had the chance to see with my own eyes wild individuals of Cicindelidia floridana, a tiger beetle that had been recently rediscovered after being thought extinct for nearly a century.  Accompanying me during that trip were Chris … Continue reading →

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Bee Fly Parasitism of Tetracha virginica

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

I expected to gain a better understanding of insect photography principles and techniques at last weekend’s BugShot insect photography workshop at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, Missouri.  I even expected that I would walk away from the event with some new … Continue reading →

Posted in Bombyliidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Diptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

BugShot 2011 – Final Thoughts

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

As I suspected would be the case, ID Challenge #11 has proven to be an especially difficult challenge.  As a result, instead of posting the answer tonight I’m going to give folks another day to make their play for points (remember, nobody walks … Continue reading →

Posted in Apidae, Arachnida, Araneae, Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments