Tag Archives: Missouri

Of Bots and Warbles

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Chris Brown

As an undergraduate at Truman State University during the mid-90’s I was part of a small mammal research group led by Dr. Scott Ellis.  My focus was on flying squirrels, but others in the group studied mice.  There were always … Continue reading →

Posted in Diptera, Oestridae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

A Modest Model for Mimicry

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Chris Brown

Spring is still a long way off but it’s times like these that I draw on past experiences so I can continue to be thrilled by insect natural history even during the coldest of months.  In this case I am thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Memories of summer – Neoclytus scutellaris

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

During the short, cold days of winter it’s nice to take a break from the curatorial activities that dominate the season and look back on some of the insects seen during the previous summer. This is Neoclytus scutellaris, a longhorned … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 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

Isn’t she splendid?!

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

This gorgeous female Cicindela splendida emerged recently from one of my rearing containers.  She was one of several 3rd instar larvae that I collected this past June from their burrows in a dolomite glade in southeastern Missouri.  I had suspected they might represent this … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Different Jaws for Different Jobs

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

If you’re interested in wood boring beetles and live in the eastern  U.S. like I do, you’re sure to encounter sooner or later the region’s sole¹ “primitive weevil” (family Brentidae), the oak timberworm (Arrhenodes minutus).  This beetle develops as a larva in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Brentidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Two things I love about glades during fall…

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

…prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) in bloom… …and prairie tiger beetles (Cicindelidia obsoleta vulturina) on the prowl… On the last weekend of August I made another trip to the White River Hills of north-central Arkansas in a last gasp effort to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Bee Fly Parasitism of Tetracha virginica

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

I expected to gain a better understanding of insect photography principles and techniques at last weekend’s BugShot insect photography workshop at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, Missouri.  I even expected that I would walk away from the event with some new … Continue reading →

Posted in Bombyliidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Diptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments