Tag Archives: entomology

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

Cycloalexy in tortoise beetle larvae

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

One of the first insects I encountered during my visit this past November to Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur in Buenos Aires, Argentina were these tiny beetle larvae grouped together on a single leaf of an unidentified shrub.  The presence of fringed lateral appendages and exuvial-fecal debris masses … Continue reading →

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

‘Beetles in the Bush’ T-Shirts now available!

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve mentioned before my preference for simple cotton t-shirts over fancy pocketed nylon shirts while I’m out in the field (see Beetle Collecting 101: Dress for Success). Lightweight and comfortable under even the most extreme conditions, they do the job cheaply … Continue reading →

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

Arriving now in a mailbox near you…

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

The latest issue of Cicindela (A quarterly journal devoted to Cicindelidae) has just been issued. My copy arrived yesterday and features on the cover a photograph that I took of Tetracha carolina in Florida this past August (original photo and more can be … Continue reading →

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

Zygogramma Desmogramma leaf beetles in Argentina

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

The east end of La Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur in Buenos Aires offers a quiet contrast to the more populated central and western areas. Few people leave the levee-trail system that surrounds the famous wetlands and pampas grass stands in those latter areas; however, those that … Continue reading →

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

Return to La Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Last March I discovered La Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur—a gem of natural beauty in the heart of Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Though its origins are semi-artificial, its biota a mix of native and introduced species, and its pathways continually choked with pedestrians and … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Melyridae, Nymphalidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

“Sunflower looper” – Rachiplusia nu

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

With a planted area approaching 20 million hectares, soybean has become Argentina’s most important agricultural crop.  Most of the planted area is located within the so-called “Humid Pampas” region of central Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Santa Fe and Entre Rios … Continue reading →

Posted in Lepidoptera, Noctuidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments