Tag Archives: beetles

ID Challenge #15

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

It’s been almost a month since the last challenge, and since Alex got back to his roots I think I’ll do likewise. This is a straight up identification—the order and family are obvious (or should be), so I’m going to limit ID points … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Buprestidae exchange

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

With my queue of specimen identifications now clear, I can turn my attention to another major backlog that I haven’t been able to give proper attention recently—exchanges. For those of you not into insect collecting, exchanging is something that most … Continue reading →

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

Extreme sexual dimorphism in Buprestidae: Xenorhipis hidalgoensis

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Yesterday I received in the mail a package of specimens for identification from Dan Heffern in Houston, Texas. I first began corresponding with Dan about 25 years ago—not long after I myself became interested in Coleoptera, and as an avid collector of longhorned … Continue reading →

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

2,171 pieces of chitin…

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

There are many reasons to look forward to the Holiday Season—time with family and friends, a break from the normal routine, the chance to engage in favorite activities leisure and otherwise, or maybe just kick back and not do much … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

I am an Entomologist

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In my last post (Best of BitB 2011), I showed my favorite 13 insect (mostly) macrophotographs from 2011. Such “Best of …” posts have become an annual tradition here at BitB, and I like them because they give me a chance to … Continue reading →

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

Best of BitB 2011

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Welcome to the 4th Annual BitB Top 10, where I get to pick my 10 (more or less) favorite photographs of the year. As an insect macrophotographer I still feel like a relative newcomer, although with three seasons under my belt fewer … Continue reading →

Posted in Acrididae, Anthribidae, Arachnida, Araneae, Carabidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Diptera, Fungi, Hemiptera, Membracidae, Orthoptera, Pentatomidae, Tettigoniidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Sometimes the best collecting…

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

As a practicing (albeit non-professional) taxonomist, I spend a goodly amount of time examining specimens collected not only by me, but by others as well. I’ve mentioned before the benefits of doing this—both to the collector, who gets names for the … Continue reading →

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

Swift Tiger Beetle: Species on the Brink

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

In July 2008, Chris Brown and I made a spur-of-the-moment trip to Hitchcock Preserve near Council Bluffs, Iowa, where only a week earlier Cylindera celeripes (Swift Tiger Beetle), one of North America’s most enigmatic tiger beetles, had just been discovered. Reportedly … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment