Category Archives: Arthropoda

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

Cylindera cursitans (Ant-like Tiger Beetle) in Arkansas

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

In late June I visited Chalk Bluff Natural Area in northeastern Arkansas.  Situated at the northeastern-most corner of the state, it is here where the St. Francis River enters Arkansas from Missouri, slicing through the loose Tertiary conglomerates of Crowley’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Speaking of Graphisurus…

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Graphisurus fasciatus is the commonest of the three species in this North American genus. It is easily distinguished from G. triangulifer by its smaller, narrower form, more mottled coloration, and lack of distinctive triangular-shaped black markings on the elytra. However, it can … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Graphisurus triangulifer in Missouri

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Of the three species of the genus Graphisurus occurring in Missouri, G. triangulifer is both the most attractive and the least commonly encountered.  Back when I surveyed the Cerambycidae of Missouri (MacRae 1994), I examined only 45 specimens of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Elytrimitatrix at my window

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

This evening as I was sitting in my comfy chair, I noticed Stitch (one of the cats) pawing at the window. We live in the woods, so it is common for insects to land on the outsides of the windows … Continue reading →

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

Hook-faced Conehead – Pyrgocorypha uncinata

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

I had high hopes as I setup the blacklights in the pine/oak-hickory forest at Jordan Recreation Area on Lake Norfork in north-central Arkansas. The late June timing  and warm, humid conditions with no moon were perfect for wood boring beetles, and as dusk … Continue reading →

Posted in Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

T.G.I.Flyday – Triorla interrupta

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

While I was visiting the glades near Calico Rock, Arkansas this past June, I went into town to look along the White River.  With the amount of sandstone bedrock in the area, I thought there I might find sandy loam deposits … Continue reading →

Posted in Asilidae, Diptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Lined Jewel Beetle

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Here is another of the several wood-boring beetle species that I encountered during my June trips to the sandstone glade complex near Calico Rock in north-central Arkansas.  Shortleaf pines (Pinus echinata), the only native pine in this region, are common on … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More on ‘Conspicuous Crypsis’

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

In my previous post (Oedipodine Rex), I used the term ‘conspicuous crypsis’ to describe the sumptuously beautiful lichen grasshopper, Trimerotropis saxatilis, as an example of an insect that, despite strikingly conspicuous colors/patterns, blends in perfectly with its native surroundings. I don’t … Continue reading →

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