Tag Archives: insects

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

Hover fly on mallow flower

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve mentioned before my reluctance to take random “bug on a flower” photos, but the colors of this hover fly (family Syrphidae) and the mallow flower (Malvaceae, possibly Abutilon pauciflorum) on which it was sitting were enough to capture my … Continue reading →

Posted in Diptera, Syrphidae | Tagged , , , , , , | 17 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

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