Category Archives: Arthropoda

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

Tiger Beetles at Florida’s “Road to Nowhere”

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

(continued from the previous post, Tiger Beetles Agree—It’s Hot in Florida!) During the time that I explored the pine sandhill habitat at Withlacoochee State Forest in Citrus County, I kept close watch for any individuals amongst the dozens and dozens … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Tiger Beetles Agree—It’s Hot in Florida!

Posted on December 18, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Florida is known for its rich assemblage of tiger beetles—27 species in all, including four endemics (Choate 2003).  However, late summer is generally considered not the best time of year for seeing this diversity, since adult populations of most species … Continue reading →

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

Do You Have “An Inordinate Fondness”?

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Last week I mentioned that I had been thinking about starting a blog carnival devoted exclusively to beetles.  Actually, I’ve been thinking about it for some time now, but following up on the idea apparently needed a catalyst.  That catalyst … Continue reading →

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

Creepy Crawly Spiders

Posted on December 13, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Today’s post is another in a series of occasional guest essays by 10-year old Madison MacRae.  Madison is certainly the budding naturalist in our family, having accompanied me on recent collecting trips to the sand prairies of southeast Missouri and … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Cicadetta kansa in Oklahoma

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Another of the insects that I saw this past June at Four Canyon Preserve in northwestern Oklahoma was this small cicada, Cicadetta kansa. Though not as small as the diminutive Beameria venosa (see North America’s smallest cicada), their barely audible … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicadidae, Hemiptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

A bid for OpenLab

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

I’m going to do something I’ve not yet done before—ask for your support.  OpenLab is an annual compilation of the year’s best science-blog writing, as determined by a panel of judges, and the closing date for submissions for 2009 is December 1st—this coming … Continue reading →

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

A “Really” Big-headed Tiger Beetle

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

In my recent summary of the latest issue of the journal Cicindela, I included a scan of the cover of that issue and its stunning image of the 3rd-instar larva of Megacephala megacephala¹ from Africa.  This otherwordly-looking, four-eyed beast was photographed with jaws agape … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Moustached Tiger Beetle

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

In my previous post, I featured the rare Cicindela highlandensis (Highlands Tiger Beetle), restricted entirely to sand scrubland and pine woodland habitats along the Lake Wales Ridge in central Florida (Choate 2003).  However, that would not be the only Florida endemic tiger beetle … Continue reading →

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