Category Archives: Arthropoda

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

Hunting the Great Plains giant tiger beetle

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

In the early 1980s, I was a young, green entomologist, fresh out of school with a budding interest in beetle taxonomy, a zeal for collecting, and a desire to meet other like-minded individuals. Among the first collectors I had the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Amblycheila success!

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I love it when a plan comes together! Another one was caught after these photos for a total of five individuals. They’ve been setup for now in a container of native soil. I hope you’ll forgive these rather rushed photos … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

The Power of Impulse

Posted on July 3, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Since figuring out a couple weeks that I had the larva of North America’s largest tiger beetle (Amblycheila cylindriformis, or Great Plains giant tiger beetle) in a rearing tub in the lab, I haven’t been able to think about anything except how … Continue reading →

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

Call for paratypes!

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Earlier this year, I featured this small jewel beetle in the genus Acmaeodera (family Buprestidae).  It was collected a few years ago in southeastern Arizona by my hymenopterist friend Mike Arduser, who over the years has given me a great variety … Continue reading →

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

Typocerus lugubris

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Members of the genus Typocerus are among the more commonly encountered species of the so-called “flower longhorns” (family Cerambycidae, subfamily Lepturinae) in eastern North America. In addition to the narrow-necked, broad-shouldered appearance characteristic for the subfamily, species in this genus … Continue reading →

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

Nomenclatural changes in Phymatodes

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve mentioned before the considerable taxonomic challenges facing students of the family Buprestidae (jewel beetles) in North America, owing largely to fact that more than half of its species are assigned to one of just three hyper-diverse genera (Acmaeodera, Agrilus, … Continue reading →

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

North America’s largest tiger beetle (I think!)

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

The generous among us might call it serendipity, while the rest of us would just call it luck.  By whatever name, I had it in spades in June last year when I made my first visit to the Glass Mountains of … Continue reading →

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

Swift Tiger Beetle – good news, bad news

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Sorry about the noisy video – it was shot in one of our walk-in growth chambers with fans going full-bore! Anyway, the video shows a couple of mating pairs of Cylindera celeripes (swift tiger beetle) that I brought back from … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments