Tag Archives: entomology

My first jumping spider

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

As a long-time professional and avocational entomologist, I find beauty and fascination in all manner of joint-legged creatures. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and most people don’t exactly share my passion for these animals. Sure, … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Pseudomethoca simillima – a model for Enoclerus ichneumoneus?

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Last week, I posted the above photograph of Enoclerus ichneumoneus (orange-banded checkered beetle) and mentioned its possibly mimetic appearance to velvet ants in the family Mutillidae (order Hymenoptera).  By some stroke of serendipity, I encountered a species of Mutillidae the very … Continue reading →

Posted in Cleridae, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Mutillidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Revision of the Formicidae of North America

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I recently came across this ant in the southeastern Missouri Ozarks sitting in a hole in the trunk of a standing dead black oak (Quercus velutinus) tree, apparently guarding the entrance to its nest. This big black ant is frequently … Continue reading →

Posted in Formicidae, Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 66 Comments

Orange-banded checkered beetle

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

As a student of woodboring beetles for more than a quarter-century now, I’ve had occasion to encounter a goodly number of checkered beetles (family Cleridae) – both in the field and as a result of rearing them from dead wood. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cleridae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Hello World!

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

These are two of the Cylindera celeripes (swift tiger beetle) larvae that I’m rearing.  Note: nobody has ever reared this species before!  Nobody has ever even seen its larvae (before now, that is). These larvae hatched from eggs that were … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Two ladies from Ontario

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

What do bugs and snakes/lizards/frogs/turtles have in common? Yes, they’re both ectothermic, but that is the scientist’s answer. Most folks would say they’re just creepy – girls especially! Well, two ladies from Ontario are proving the latter notion wrong by … Continue reading →

Posted in Curculionidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Josef Knull was wrong!

Posted on April 16, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

A few weeks ago I received an email from Kyle Schnepp, an entomology student at Purdue University.  Kyle has taken on the rather ambitious project of developing an illustrated key to the Buprestidae of eastern North America, for which he has … Continue reading →

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

Mylabris oculatus in South Africa

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Mylabris oculata, the CMR bean beetle, is a large, conspicuously-colored beetle in the family Meloidae (blister beetles) that I saw quite commonly during my stay in South Africa.  “CMR” refers to the Cape Mounted Rifle Corps, a police force in the … Continue reading →

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