Category Archives: Arthropoda

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

Brazil Bugs #14 – Fusquinha

Despite their hyperdiversity, leaf beetles (family Chrysomelidae) as a group are for the most part among the most easily recognized of all beetle families, and within the family none are more recognizable than the tortoise beetles (subfamily Cassidinae).  Named for … Continue reading

Posted in Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Frenatae 2011 Calendar

Even though we’re now in the latter part of February, I wanted to spread the word about a cool insect-themed calendar shown to me by a colleague during my recent trip to Brazil. Produced by Frenatae, the Graduate Student Entomology … Continue reading

Posted in Coleoptera, Diptera, Scarabaeidae, Tabanidae, Zopheridae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Is Missouri’s disjunct population of Johnson’s tiger beetle extirpated?

The December 2010 issue of the journal CICINDELA came out a little over a week ago. Leading off inside is the first in a series of papers that I, along with colleagues Chris Brown and Kent Fothergill, have prepared detailing … Continue reading

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

Brazil Bugs #13 – Gorgulho do fungo

Over the weekend during my trip to Brazil last month, I took a walk in the municipal park near my colleague’s home in Barão Geraldo. There was a rather large lake with a walking trail going around it, and although much … Continue reading

Posted in Anthribidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Featured Guest Photo – Dromica kolbei

Shortly after I returned from Brazil, this stunning photo was sent to me by Joe Warfel, who himself had just returned from a trip to South Africa.  Joe had seen the beetle at Punda Maria camp in the northern part of … Continue reading

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

Answers to ID Challenge #5 – Artrópodes em casca de árvore morta

After checking into my hotel in Campinas, Brazil I couldn’t wait to start exploring the grounds to see what insect life I might be able to find.  Almost immediately, I encountered this dead tree in back of the hotel.  To a … Continue reading

Posted in Coleoptera, Collembola, Diplopoda, Entognatha, Polyxenida, Tenebrionidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Brazil Bugs #11 – Formigas cortadeiras

This week is Army Ant Week, and while Alex Wild’s stunning photographs of this diverse and charismatic group reign supreme, some of the cooler bug bloggers are nevertheless getting into the spirit of things with army ant posts of their own.  … Continue reading

Posted in Formicidae, Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Brazil Bugs #10 – A mosca mais legal que eu já vi!

I found this bizarre-looking fly outside of Campinas, Brazil (on the same tree as the Aetalion reticulatum that I showed earlier).  There were a few of them, and although they weren’t especially flighty they did have the annoying habit of … Continue reading

Posted in Diptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments