Tag Archives: predator avoidance

Holy conglobulation, Batman!

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Earlier this month I made a quick trip out to California to see my good friend Chuck Bellamy receive his Honorary Membership in The Coleopterist Society. While I was there, I got a chance to spend some time with Chuck’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Blaberidae, Blattodea, Dictyoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Tucuras, langostas, y saltamontes

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Tucuras, langostas, and saltamontes are names in Argentina for what we in North America call grasshoppers (order Orthoptera, superfamily Acridoidea). Argentina certainly has its share of species, some of which can only be described as “gigantes”! During my first week … Continue reading →

Posted in Acrididae, Orthoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 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

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

Tiger Beetle Nocturnal Perching

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

During last week’s 48-hour blitz through Florida, I spent one evening blacklighting at the famed “Road to Nowhere” tiger beetle hot spot and encountered this male individual of Ellipsoptera hamata lacerata¹ clinging to the grass near my light.  A quick search of the … Continue reading →

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

More on ‘Conspicuous Crypsis’

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

In my previous post (Oedipodine Rex), I used the term ‘conspicuous crypsis’ to describe the sumptuously beautiful lichen grasshopper, Trimerotropis saxatilis, as an example of an insect that, despite strikingly conspicuous colors/patterns, blends in perfectly with its native surroundings. I don’t … Continue reading →

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

Oedipodine Rex

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Ever since my current fascination with band-winged grasshoppers (family Acrididae, subfamily Oedipodinae) began, I have been obsessed with photographing one species above all others—Trimerotropis saxatilis, the lichen grasshopper. Like most species in the group, lichen grasshoppers utilize an interesting survival strategy that … Continue reading →

Posted in Acrididae, Orthoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Tracking Tetraopes texanus with Terry

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Last month I traveled to Starkville, Mississippi to meet with an academic cooperator at Mississippi State University.  While arranging the trip, I contacted Terry Schiefer (no, not the fashion jewelry designer, but curator at the Mississippi Entomological Museum) to let him know … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments