Tag Archives: nature

The ever-increasing diversity of Oklahoma beetles

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

My idea to return to Oklahoma’s Gloss Mountains this spring actually began taking shape during last year’s fall visit to the area, when I found a single Chrysobothris octocola adult on a dead mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) branch. While common across the southwestern … Continue reading →

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

“Rare jewel beetles discovered in Mexico by team of scientists!”

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I hope you’ll excuse the hyperbolic title, but such has been my impression with some of the headlines I’ve seen recently in the popular media regarding newly described insect taxa in various parts of the world. The “discovery” of new species … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Blue-sky” tips and tricks

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

For the past two years I’ve been working to refine my “blue-sky” technique for insect macrophotographs. This refers to careful balancing of camera and flash settings to achieve full-flash illumination of the subject while still allowing enough ambient illumination from the sky … Continue reading →

Posted in Chrysopidae, Neuroptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cover photo for the June 2013 issue of The Coleopterists Bulletin

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Did anybody think that weevil photograph on the cover of the June 2013 issue of The Coleopterists Bulletin (vol. 67, no. 2) looked familiar? If so, it’s  because you saw it first in my April 28, 2013 post, Giving me the weevil eye! This … Continue reading →

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

A chalcidid jewel beetle parasitoid wasp

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

As a student of jewel beetles with an interest in their larval host plant associations, rearing has been an important tool for my studies. Through the years, I’ve retrieved literally hundreds of batches of dead wood from the field and … Continue reading →

Posted in Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Agrilus fuscipennis on Persimmon

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Agrilus fuscipennis may not be the largest or the prettiest member of the genus occurring in Missouri (that honor is reserved for Agrilus concinnus, or “hibiscus jewel beetle”—MacRae 2004). Nevertheless,  it comes pretty darned close! Add to that the fact that … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Flatfaced longhorn: Leptostylus transversus

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

The longhorned beetle subfamily Lamiinae is one of the few subfamilies in the beetle world to have its own common name—flatfaced longhorns. This photo of one of its members, Leptostylus transversus, doesn’t show the character very well, but as with all … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Oklahoma Collecting Trip iReport

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I’m back home after my week-long collecting trip to western Oklahoma, and at the risk of sounding hyperbolous I can only describe it as one of the most successful collecting trips I’ve ever had. Seriously! These kinds of trips don’t happen all that often … Continue reading →

Posted in Acrididae, Aves, Cactaceae, Cerambycidae, Coleoptera, Orthoptera, Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments