Tag Archives: beetles

These bugs rock!

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

These stones were given to me recently by a local insect enthusiast who is an admitted collector of all things natural history. According to him, the stones were among numerous items that he was allowed to “salvage” many decades earlier from … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The “little soybean weevil”

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Lepidopteran caterpillars are without question the most important pests affecting soybean in South America, while stink bugs run a close second in terms of economic impact and as the targets of insecticide applications. There are, however, a number of weevil … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Curculionidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Baffling beetles

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Even though I pride myself as a fairly competent coleopterist, I occasionally run into beetles that—despite my best efforts—I just cannot identify them beyond the family level. I don’t feel too bad about that, as the group’s 350,000 to 400,000 described … Continue reading →

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

Brazilian Bike Adventure

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Yesterday I joined my Brazilian colleagues on a bicycling tour from the outskirts of São Paulo to the beaches of the Atlantic Coast. To say that the tour was an ‘adventure’ is an understatement—it was epic! For those not familiar … Continue reading →

Posted in Corydalidae, Crabronidae, Hymenoptera, Neuroptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Another happy customer!

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I see that Delbert La Rue at Crooked Beak Workshop has received my package and is happy with its contents! Copyright © Ted C. MacRae 2013

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

Featured Guest Photo: A Spectacular Case of Mimicry

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

On occasion I receive photos from readers that are so remarkable I simply must share them (with the owner’s permission, of course). Recently I received a note from Len de Beer in Maputo, Mozambique, who was looking for help identifying a … Continue reading →

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

A jewel of a beetle

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I really wish I had a photomicrography setup like the one that Sam Heads has at the University of Illinois for imaging preserved specimens. Alas, insect taxonomy is “just a hobby” for me, and any specimen photography I wish to do must … Continue reading →

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

Backyard gems

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve been fortunate to have the chance to travel far and wide in my searches for insects—from the Gypsum Hills of the Great Plains and Sky Islands of the desert southwest to the subtropical riparian woodlands of the Lower Rio Grande … Continue reading →

Posted in Betulaceae, Buprestidae, Coleoptera, Cupressaceae, Orchidaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments