Tag Archives: predator avoidance

Predator Satiation

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve probably used the term predator satiation more often during the past couple of weeks than I have during the entire rest of my life.  Students of ecology know this as an antipredator adaptation in which prey occur at such high population … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicadidae, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Vespidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Do you think I’m tasty?

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

As I hiked the upper stretch of the Shut-Ins Trail at Sam A. Baker State Park in southeastern Missouri, I encountered this 2-inch long millipede slowly making its way across the rocks.  Many millipedes, of course, produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN) as their primary method … Continue reading →

Posted in Diplopoda, Polydesmida | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Eye to eye with a copperhead

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

I don’t know what it is about Osage copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster) that makes every encounter with one so special. They are perhaps the most common of Missouri’s five venomous snake species, and I’ve seen them more often than I can count. Still, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Bichos Argentinos #13 – Spotted Maize Beetle

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

One of the most common insects encountered in agricultural fields in Argentina is Asylus atromaculatus (spotted maize beetle).  This native species can also be found further north in Bolivia and Brazil, and as implied by its common name it is frequently encountered in maize … Continue reading →

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

Bichos Argentinos #12 – Lace Bugs

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Shortly after entering La Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur (Buenos Aires, Argentina) during my early March visit, I noticed a fairly large patch of solanaceous-looking shrubs.  Even from a distance, I could see patterns of white stippling on the foliage immediately identifiable as signs of lace bugs, true … Continue reading →

Posted in Hemiptera, Tingidae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Monday Moth – Polka-dot Wasp Moth

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Monday Moth post, so I thought I’d feature one of the prettier specimens in my very limited Lepidoptera collection.  This is Syntomeida epilais (polka-dot wasp moth), one of four species in the genus that … Continue reading →

Posted in Arctiidae, Erebidae, Lepidoptera, Noctuidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Calm waters, frenzied beetles

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

The North Fork River in south-central Missouri, like most Ozark rivers and streams, flows clear and cold over gravelled bottoms. Sustained year-round by the numerous seeps and springs that result from the region’s unique Karst geology, it meanders through a mix of … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Gyrinidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Red-eyed Devil

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

In June 1994, I made my first insect collecting trip to Big Bend National Park.  Both of my previous visits to Texas had been to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, so I was anxious to see what beetle treasures awaited … Continue reading →

Posted in Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 29 Comments