Tag Archives: beetles

Where siblings mingle: Ellipsoptera marginata vs. E. hamata

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

When Erwin & Pearson (2008) formally broke up the great genus Cicindela by elevating most of its former subgenera to full genus rank, it caused a bit of consternation amongst some North American cicindelophiles. The argument went something like, “Now we have all these … Continue reading →

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

Persistence Pays

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

For the past three years I’ve crisscrossed the country in search of some of North America’s rarest tiger beetles, each time hoping to get that “perfect” photograph of an unconfined beetle exhibiting natural behavior in its native habitat. I’ve managed … Continue reading →

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

Black is beautiful!

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

As much love as I give to tiger beetles, I tend to be just as indifferent to the non-cicindeline ground beetles. Why this is I don’t know; ground beetles sensu lato are super diverse taxonomically, morphologically, and ecologically, and the … Continue reading →

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

Life at 8X—hibiscus flea beetle

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In mid-August I visited Route 66 State Park along the Meramec River in east-central Missouri to check stands of rosemallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpus) that I had previously noticed growing in the park for the presence of the stunning jewel beetle, Agrilus concinnus. … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beetle Collecting 101: How to pin a beetle

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

It has been a long time since I initiated my Beetle Collecting 101 series (more than two years!), and to date the first issue—Beetle Collecting 101: Dress for Success—remains the one and only lesson that I’ve posted. I really had intended … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

The hardest EASIEST ID Challenge in like ever!

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

This is not only the hardest ID Challenge I have ever posted, it is probably the hardest one anyone has EVER posted. I’m not going to ask for order or family because they’re so easy. I will ask for the genus, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Why are this beetle’s elytra outstretched?

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve puzzled over the beetle in the above photo since I first saw it back in September on Day 2 of this year’s Annual Fall Tiger Beetle Trip. I encountered it on a dead branch of eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana) on … Continue reading →

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

How to deal with a crappy photo of a beautiful beetle

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

One thing I’ve discovered after trying my hand at insect macrophotography for the past three years is that I take a lot more photos than I can possibly post. As a result, I tend to focus my efforts on more … Continue reading →

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