Category Archives: Arthropoda

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

Highlands Tiger Beetle

Posted on November 12, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

When my wife and I made plans to spend a week at her sister’s condominium in Florida this past summer, I began making a list of the tiger beetle species that I wanted to see.  I would be happy to … Continue reading →

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

Monday Moth: White-tipped Black Moth

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

When is a ctenuchid moth not a ctenuchid moth?  When it’s a White-tipped Black Moth (Melanchroia chephise) in the family Geometridae! I may be a beetle guy, but I also consider myself a competent general entomologist.  What is a competent general … Continue reading →

Posted in Geometridae, Lepidoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Beetle Research Roundup

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

The latest issue of the journal Cicindela arrived in my mailbox today, and as usual some interesting papers are included.  For those of you unfamiliar with it, Cicindela is “a quarterly journal devoted to the Cicindelidae,” publishing papers dealing with any aspect … Continue reading →

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

Florida Metallic Tiger Beetle

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

In my previous post, I showed some photographs of the larva of an undetermined species of tiger beetle that I collected from its burrow in dry ground adjacent to a coastal salt marsh near St. Petersburg, Florida. I had assumed … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Anatomy of a Tiger Beetle Larva

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

My first experience looking for tiger beetles in Florida had gone well.  Despite its small size and urban surroundings, the narrow strip of coastal scrub and saltwater marsh along the intracoastal waterway behind my sister-in-law’s condominium boasted a robust population of … Continue reading →

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

(My) Introduction to Florida Tiger Beetles

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

On the last day of July, I hopped into my stuffed-to-the-brim SUV and began the +1000-mile drive to St. Petersburg, Florida.  I had with me my camera and my collecting gear, but also my bike, some beach wear… and my family!  No, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Cold and wet

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

The annual fall tiger beetle collecting trip is over, and nothing could be more emblematic of the trip than this cold, wet Cicindela splendida (literally translating to its well-deserved common name “Splendid Tiger Beetle”), found in the waning light of … Continue reading →

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

A face only a mother could love

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

I found this guy yesterday secreted under a rock in a limestone glade at White River Balds Natural Area in extreme southwest Missouri.  Centruroides vittatus¹ is the most common scorpion in the U.S., occurring naturally in southern Missouri, western Arkansas … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Scorpiones | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments