Tag Archives: beetles

Charming Couple

You may have noticed a longer than normal interval since the last post (or not)—the result of a family vacation to Florida.  I’m not much of a beach bum, so while the girls found inordinate pleasure laying on the hot … Continue reading

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Cylindera cursitans (Ant-like Tiger Beetle) in Arkansas

In late June I visited Chalk Bluff Natural Area in northeastern Arkansas.  Situated at the northeastern-most corner of the state, it is here where the St. Francis River enters Arkansas from Missouri, slicing through the loose Tertiary conglomerates of Crowley’s … Continue reading

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Speaking of Graphisurus

Graphisurus fasciatus is the commonest of the three species in this North American genus. It is easily distinguished from G. triangulifer by its smaller, narrower form, more mottled coloration, and lack of distinctive triangular-shaped black markings on the elytra. However, it can … Continue reading

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Graphisurus triangulifer in Missouri

Of the three species of the genus Graphisurus occurring in Missouri, G. triangulifer is both the most attractive and the least commonly encountered.  Back when I surveyed the Cerambycidae of Missouri (MacRae 1994), I examined only 45 specimens of this … Continue reading

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

Elytrimitatrix at my window

This evening as I was sitting in my comfy chair, I noticed Stitch (one of the cats) pawing at the window. We live in the woods, so it is common for insects to land on the outsides of the windows … Continue reading

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Lined Jewel Beetle

Here is another of the several wood-boring beetle species that I encountered during my June trips to the sandstone glade complex near Calico Rock in north-central Arkansas.  Shortleaf pines (Pinus echinata), the only native pine in this region, are common on … Continue reading

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More on ‘Conspicuous Crypsis’

In my previous post (Oedipodine Rex), I used the term ‘conspicuous crypsis’ to describe the sumptuously beautiful lichen grasshopper, Trimerotropis saxatilis, as an example of an insect that, despite strikingly conspicuous colors/patterns, blends in perfectly with its native surroundings. I don’t … Continue reading

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

Diminishing Stag Beetle

This past June I made a couple of trips to north-central Arkansas. They were my first real efforts to collect insects in Arkansas, despite hundreds (literally) of trips to various localities throughout the Ozark Highlands in adjacent southern Missouri. The … Continue reading

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