Subject: I call them Sith Lady Bugs
Geographic location of the bug: Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA
Date: 09/12/2017
Time: 08:46 PM EDT
9/9/2017 San Pedro Riperian. Don’t they look like Darth Sith? Just wanted to share photos.
How you want your letter signed: ptosis
Dear ptosis,
We are quite confident we have identified the orange beetles as Globe Mallow Leaf Beetles, Calligrapha serpentina, based on this BugGuide image, and based on other BugGuide images, it appears this beetle has variable coloration. According to BugGuide: “Found on Mallows, pattern typical for genus, but details of pattern are fairly constant. Coloring varies from red to a striking light green (the green is an almost translucent metallic sheen over a yellowish to orange base). Differently colored individuals can often be found at one time in one population, but on average most individuals tend to be mostly the same color at one place and time. One generation is commonly a different color than the next.” We are also confident that the light beetle in your third image is a member of the same genus, but most likely a different species.
Thank you so much! wow. I really thought they were a Sith Maul version of Ladybugs. Thank you so much!
