Tag Archives: Missouri

The 12 Years of Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

This post first appeared on Beetles in the Bush on Christmas Day 2008. Two years have passed, but the sentiment remains stronger than ever. I reprint it here as BitB‘s single evergreen post. Merry Christmas! They came from completely different … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

ESA in absentia

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) held its 58th Annual Meeting earlier this week in San Diego, California. For those of you who were unable to attend, I’ve included a link to a poster that I and coauthors Chris Brown … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Eye of the Turtle

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Is there anything more lovable than the humble turtle?  As old as the dinosaurs, they stumbled onto a body plan that works and promptly dropped out of the evolutionary arms race.  Slow, plodding, and seemingly oblivious, they steadfastly cling to their quite, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , | 60 Comments

Answer to Super Crop Challenge #2

Posted on December 5, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I was hoping that Super Crop Challenge #2 would prove a little more difficult than the first one, but first responder Troy Bartlett quickly sniffed out the correct answer – the top part of the abdomen of the marmorated orb weaver, … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Answer to Super Crop Challenge #1

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Seemingly correct answers came quickly to yesterday’s inaugural Super Crop Challenge, which featured a curious structure atop a harvestman (class Arachnida, order Opiliones) that I encountered while hiking the lower North Fork Section of the Ozark Trail in extreme southern Missouri. “Seemingly” … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Opiliones | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Super Crop Challenge #1

Posted on November 20, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

ID quizzes and challenges seem to have become an increasingly popular subject for natural history blogs. I’ve done a few of my own, but my straight up ID challenges are starting to seem a little unimaginative compared to the DNA … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Opiliones | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Desmocerus palliatus – elderberry borer

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Last June I made two trips to the Loess Hills in northwestern Missouri to survey additional sites for Cylindera celeripes (swift tiger beetle), which my colleague Chris Brown and I had discovered in some of the area’s few remaining loess … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Cicindela pulchra on white

Posted on November 13, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Two more photographs taken with my new diffuser, this time the spectacular Cicindela pulchra (beautiful tiger beetle). Which one do you like better? Photo Details: Canon 50D w/ 100mm macro lens (ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/16), Canon MT-24EX flash w/ … Continue reading →

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