Tag Archives: entomology

Millipede assassin bug

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

I continue the hemipteran theme begun in the last post with this photograph I took in South Africa below the Waterberg Range in Northern (now Limpopo) Province. I recognized them as members of the family Reduviidae (assassin bugs), and since … Continue reading →

Posted in Diplopoda, Hemiptera, Reduviidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Bizarre, beautiful extremes

Posted on February 15, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

No niche, it seems goes unfilled. Specialization is likely to be pushed to bizarre, beautiful extremes.–E. O. Wilson, The Diversity of Life Wilson didn’t mention treehoppers specifically when he made the above quote, referring to the exuberance of extreme behavioral … Continue reading →

Posted in Aetalionidae, Hemiptera, Membracidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

“Armoured tank beetle”

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Photo details: Panasonic DMC-FX3 (macro setting w/ auto exposure, aperature, and focus), illumination by two 23w compact fluorescent light bulbs. Post processing details: Adobe PhotoShop Elements 6.0 to crop, adjust brightness and contrast, remove pinhead, erase background, and sharpen. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tempting tok-tokkies

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, some of the America’s greatest entomologists were coleopterists.  Army surgeons John L. LeConte and his protégé George W. Horn, California’s Henry C. Fall, Col. Thomas L. Casey (much maligned for his mihi itch¹ … Continue reading →

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

What’s bugging you?

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

It’s not often that I use this forum to write about other blogs. There are so many to choose from – good ones – that it’s hard to know where to start.  Besides, I’d rather use the limited time I … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Tragidion confusion

Posted on February 2, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Back in October, I discussed a recent review of the cerambycid genus Tragidion, authored by Ian Swift and Ann Ray and published in the online journal Zootaxa.  These gorgeous beetles mimic the so-called “tarantula hawks” (a group of large, predatory … Continue reading →

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

Done with dung, meat please!

Posted on January 30, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

“No feces for this species.” “Carnivorous dung beetle shuns dung and decapitates millipede.” “Little dung beetle is big chopper.” “Dung beetle mistakes millipede for dung.” These were some of the clever headlines that I had to compete with in coming … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Diplopoda, Scarabaeidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Christmas in January

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

One of the ironies about collecting insects is that the winter months can be just as busy as the summer months, sometimes more so. Despite the lack of insect activity during these short, cold days, I actually find myself at … Continue reading →

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