Tag Archives: science

Battle of the Bug Blogs

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Something tells me that one of our bug blogging professors has charged this semester’s crop of students to go out and figure out what makes a good bug blog. My, how classwork assignments have changed since I was in grad … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Ceti Eel offspring?

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

If this creature was a tad bit slimier, you might think it had just been plucked from underneath the armor of an adult Ceti Eel and was looking to slip inside the ear of Chekov or some other human to wrap … Continue reading →

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

My favorite of Missouri’s milkweeds

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Milkweeds of the genus Asclepias are among my favorite plants, although I’m not fully sure why that is the case. Sure, their blooms are conspicuous and colorful, but so are those of many other plants. Perhaps one reason is their status … Continue reading →

Posted in Asclepiadaceae, Plantae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bollworms rising!

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

One of the most pernicious pests that U.S. farmers have battled is the larval stage of Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). This insect is destructive enough to have earned not just one official common name, but four (corn earworm, cotton bollworm, soybean podworm, … Continue reading →

Posted in Lepidoptera, Noctuidae | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

The “little soybean weevil”

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Lepidopteran caterpillars are without question the most important pests affecting soybean in South America, while stink bugs run a close second in terms of economic impact and as the targets of insecticide applications. There are, however, a number of weevil … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Curculionidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Baffling beetles

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Even though I pride myself as a fairly competent coleopterist, I occasionally run into beetles that—despite my best efforts—I just cannot identify them beyond the family level. I don’t feel too bad about that, as the group’s 350,000 to 400,000 described … Continue reading →

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

T.G.I.Flyday: Argentine robber

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I’m back in South America for the next 2+ weeks, and though it will be another week before I actually make it into Argentina, I am celebrating my return to that lovely country with photos of Argentinian insects taken during … Continue reading →

Posted in Asilidae, Diptera | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The “silky-bellied humpbacked” ant

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Last year during my extended work stay in Argentina, I was able to slip away from my duties during the first week of April and spend some time in the city of Corrientes in the northeastern part of the country. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Formicidae, Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments