Tag Archives: quiz

My, what busy palps you have!

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

In mid- to late summer, the swamps of southeast Missouri and adjacent areas along the Mississippi River become awash in color as stands of hairy rose mallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpus) put forth their conspicuous, white and pink blooms. I’ve been waiting for the mallows to … Continue reading →

Posted in Gryllidae, Orthoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Super Crop Challenge #16

Posted on August 30, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Can you identify the structures in the photo above (2 pts), their significance (2 pts), and the organism to which it belongs (order, family, genus, and species—2 pts each)? Comments will be held in moderation so everybody has a chance to participate, but there … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , | 7 Comments

When is a stag beetle not a stag beetle?

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

A: When it’s a longhorned beetle! Last week I traveled to northwestern Tennessee to visit research plots, and on the way back I took the opportunity to stop by Fort Defiance Park near Cairo, Illinois. Fort Defiance represents the southernmost tip … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

ID Challenge #23

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

This is a straight up identification challenge. Can you identify the order (duh!), family, genus, and species? Total body length of the subject is ~20 mm. Answers revealed in a couple of days or so, with comments moderated until that … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , | 11 Comments

ID Challenge #22

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

For this ID Challenge, please identify the objects/structure in the photos below and discuss how they are related to each other. I’ll give 5 pts to anybody who correctly identifies the object/structure in each photo and another 5 pts to anyone who correctly elucidates their connection. Go! Edit: I … Continue reading →

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

What was that insect?

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Yesterday I posted an identification challenge of a different sort. The main subject in the photo was a jewel beetle (family Buprestidae), but there was also another insect in the photo—a small parasitic wasp sitting on the branch below the beetle. … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Help! Can you identify this insect?

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Ted C. MacRae

Copyright © Ted C. MacRae 2014

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

ID Challenge #22: The Bone Collector

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

After a long hiatus, it is time to resurrect BitB Challenge Session #7 with this very unusual ID Challenge. Some of you may know (and most probably don’t) that, among my many other hobbies, I am a bit of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Mammalia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , | 30 Comments