Tag Archives: nature

ID Challenge #13 – Addendum

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

I hope you’ll forgive this inordinately extended challenge—I’m taking a little bit of a breather from my normally frenetic working/writing/editing schedule to enjoy a most unexpected baseball post-season.  I will be going through the comments left for ID Challenge #13 and releasing them … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

ID Challenge #13

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

For this final challenge of Session #4 we have something a little different—explain the scene shown in the photo below. Your answer can be as short and concise or long and narrative as you wish—points will be awarded subjectively depending on how … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

The Methocha

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

As pointed out in my recent post, Bee Fly Parasitism of Tetracha virginica, there is much to learn still regarding tiger beetle larval parasitoids. In addition to bee flies (order Diptera, family Bombyliidae) of the genus Anthrax, tiphiid wasps (order … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Tiphiidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 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

Ozark Landscapes – White River in northern Arkansas

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

One of my favorite insect collecting sites is a system of sandstone glades in the White River Hills of north-central Arkansas. Overlooking the White River as it courses past the quaint little town of Calico Rock, the glades atop these … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Crossidius coralinus fulgidus

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Tiger beetles may have been the primary focus of last week’s 9-day, 10-state, 4,700-mile collecting trip; however, they were not the only beetles I was hoping to see. Longhorned beetles (family Cerambycidae) of the genus Crossidius are unusual in the family … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Cicindela scutellaris yampae – Yampa Festive Tiger Beetle

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

In A Field Guide to the Tiger Beetles of the United States and Canada (Pearson et al. 2006), Cicindela scutellaris yampae (Yampa Festive Tiger Beetle) is one of 223 species and subspecies listed in the book’s index to species and subspecies. … Continue reading →

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

ID Challenge #12

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

This should be a relatively easy ID Challenge compared to previous editions—2 points each for the correct order, family, genus, species, and subspecies.  Additional points will be awarded on a discretionary basis for relevant natural history comments.  Standard challenge rules apply, including moderated comments … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , | 29 Comments