Tag Archives: natural history

A checklist of bee species in the Virginia Tech Insect Collection

Posted on September 5, 2018 by pmarek

Sweat bee, Augochlora pura mosieri Cockerell, 1922 (family Halictidae) By Katie Williamson, Derek Hennen, and Paul Marek What’s one of the first things that comes to your mind when describing a bee? A fuzzy, flying insect? Pollination? Or even how … Continue reading →

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Curiosities from the cabinets: Lycid beetle mimicry ring

Posted on January 8, 2018 by pmarek

Lycid beetle mimicry ring (A. Lucidota, Lampyridae; B. Limonia, Limoniidae; C. Chaetodactyla, Ptilodactylidae; D. Mesopteron, Lycidae; E. Austrolimnophila, Limoniidae; F. Calopteron, Lycidae; G. Correbidia, Erebidae; H. Calopteron, Lycidae; I. Correbia, Erebidae; J. Lycomorpha, Erebidae; K. Correbidia, Erebidae). Scale bar: 5 … Continue reading →

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Bressler longhorned beetle collection

Posted on June 12, 2017 by pmarek

The longhorned beetle, Typocerus zebra (Olivier, 1795) In May, Dr. Ellen Brown of Fredericksburg, Virginia donated the collection of her husband Dr. Barry Lee Bressler (1936 – 2017) to the Virginia Tech Insect Collection. Dr. Bressler, who was born in … Continue reading →

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Professor Smyth’s Butterflies

Posted on September 10, 2016 by pmarek

Papered insects of Ellison Smyth, founding head of VT Biological Sciences Did you know that the first football coach of Virginia Tech, Professor Ellison Smyth, was also a butterfly collector? In fact, Professor Smyth was also one of the first … Continue reading →

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Milkweed pollinia

Posted on August 5, 2016 by pmarek

By Theresa Dellinger Back in April I posted an image of a Sphex sp. wasp with some odd structures on its legs. At the time I suspected the weird things were fungal growths. After some additional research (i.e., I found a photo … Continue reading →

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