What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle

Posted by August 6th, 2009 at 9:44 am

Categories

Leaf Beetles

Giant Lady Beetle?
August 5, 2009
Is there such a thing as a Giant Lady Beetle? I found this beetle this morning on a milkweed plant (a typical lady beetle would be the size of the flower buds around this creature). The coloring didn’t seem right for a hercules or harlequin beetle.
Tim Doyle
Memphis, TN

Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle

Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle

Hi Tim,
Though it looks like a Ladybird Beetle, this is actually a Swamp Milkweed Beetle, Labidomera clivicollis.  They feed on the flowers and leaves of milkweed, and BugGuide has this interesting bit of information posted:  “Both larvae and adults of this species cut several side-veins of a milkweed leaf prior to feeding, to reduce the sticky latex that would otherwise be produced at their feeding sites.

Related Posts

  1. Mating Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (June 15, 2006)
  2. Swamp Milkweed Beetle (July 28, 2008)
  3. Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (November 19, 2005)
  4. Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (June 15, 2006)
  5. Swamp Milkweed Beetle (June 17, 2009)

Post a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.