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Archive for May, 2008

The L.A. Times on Roy Snelling

Posted in Ants, Insects, Taxonomy, tagged on May 14, 2008 | No Comments »

Roy Snelling, 73; renowned entomologist was an expert on ants.

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E. O. Wilson on NOVA

Posted in Insects, Science, tagged , , , on May 14, 2008 | No Comments »

I’ve just received the following notice about an upcoming NOVA show on the life of biologist/myrmecologist E. O. Wilson:

NOVA is excited to partner with organizations that share our passion for scientific discovery as we spread the word about upcoming shows. On Tuesday, May 20, we invite you to join us for a look at the [...]

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New Species: Pheidole pegasus

Posted in Ants, Insects, Science, Taxonomy, tagged , , , , , on May 13, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Pheidole pegasus Sarnat 2008
Fiji
Eli Sarnat, the reigning expert on the Ants of Fiji, has just published a lovely taxonomic revision of a group of Pheidole that occur on the islands. Pheidole are found in warmer regions worldwide, but Fiji has seen a remarkable radiation of species that share a bizarre set of spines on [...]

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The Grand Canyon

Posted in Photography, arizona, tagged , , on May 11, 2008 | 2 Comments »

The visit of Australian friends a couple weeks ago provided an excuse to go photograph Arizona’s most famous landmark. Appearances aside, the Grand Canyon is not an easy subject. Most shots appear flat in comparison to real-time views, failing to capture the canyon’s immense depths or the enormity of the open space. [...]

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Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted in Blogging, Insects, Photography, arizona, tagged , , on May 11, 2008 | 4 Comments »

Rose Aphids - Macrosiphum rosae
Tucson, Arizona
It’s fair to say that without the encouragement of my mother, who allowed all manner of newts, snakes, caterpillars, tadpoles and ants into the house, I would not have gone on to become a biologist.
Thanks Mom, and happy mother’s day!
photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon [...]

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Friday Beetle Blogging: Amphizoa trout-stream beetle

Posted in Insects, Photography, beetles, tagged , , , on May 9, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Amphizoa insolens - trout stream beetle
California
Amphizoa are among the more enigmatic insects I’ve photographed. These dime-sized beetles are found only in the mountains of China and western North America, a disjunct distribution paralleled by a number of interesting taxa, including the giant redwoods. All six species are predaceous and aquatic, living in debris and [...]

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Blog neglect

Posted in Blogging, Navel-Gazing on May 5, 2008 | 3 Comments »

Busy, busy, busy. In the meantime, there’s always the “Blog” of Unnecessary Quotation Marks.

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Birth of an Aphid

Posted in Insects, Photography, tagged , , , , , , on May 3, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Macrosiphum rosae - Rose aphids
Arizona

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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Posted in fun, tagged , , on May 2, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is another Aussie band that has made it into my regular rotation. Nick Cave was recently interviewed by Terry Gross, where we learn that his parentage includes a librarian and an English teacher. This may explain the sophistication of his lyrics. In any case, I like [...]

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Friday Beetle Blogging: A Male Glow-worm

Posted in Insects, Photography, arizona, beetles, tagged , on May 2, 2008 | 4 Comments »

Distremocephalus - Phengodidae
Arizona
The beetle family Phengodidae is odd any way you look at it. The adult female (not pictured) is larviform, which means she never loses her grub-like appearance as she grows into sexual maturity. She has no wings and no long antennae. But she does bioluminesce, and that gives the family their [...]

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