Tag Archives: beetles

The very dirty tiger

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In my post Very wary tigers!, I lamented my inability to photograph one of our state’s less commonly encountered tiger beetles, Ellipsoptera cuprascens (Coppery Tiger Beetle), on an open Mississippi River beach under a blazing sun. There are solutions to such problems, however, … Continue reading →

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

Unexpected visitors

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In late July I began blacklighting on a weekly basis at different locations along the Mississippi River in an effort to gain more detailed information on the distribution of certain tiger beetles along that great watercourse. While attraction of tiger beetles to ultraviolet … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Shooting 8X hand-held in the field

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Just to prove it can be done, here is an uncropped photograph of the seed weevil Althaeus hibisci (or the closely related A. folkertsi) (order Coleoptera, family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Bruchinae). Adults of these species measure only 1.5–2.5 mm in length (Kingsolver 2004), … Continue reading →

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

Very cozy tigers!

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In my post Very wary tigers!, I spoke of the frustrations of trying to photograph tiger beetles when conditions of temperature and terrain conspire to make them too wary to approach. This is a common feature of tiger beetle photography … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Very wary tigers!

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In late July I found a new tiger beetle site in southeastern Missouri—a small sandbar along the Mississippi River near Cape Rock Park on the north side of Cape Girardeau. I originally went to the park to look for Cylindera … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

And the winner is…

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Okay, time to fess up on which of my photos was selected for the 2013 ESA World of Insects Calendar, but before I do let me say that getting readers’ comments on which one they thought was selected proved to be a … Continue reading →

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

2013 ESA World of Insects Calendar Selection

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Today I received word from Richard Levine at the Entomological Society of America that one of my photos had been selected for the 2013 version of their famed World of Insects Calendar! Excuse me for a moment please… (pumps fist, stirs … Continue reading →

Posted in Acrididae, Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Membracidae, Orthoptera, Pentatomidae, Phasmida | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Even a 12-year old can discover the larva of a rare, endemic species!

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Since discovering the larva of the rare, endemic Florida metallic tiger beetle (Tetracha floridana) in the small, intertidal mangrove marsh behind my sister-in-law’s condominium in Seminole, Florida three years ago, I’ve looked forward to subsequent visits to see the adults (they’re nocturnal) … Continue reading →

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