Labidomera suturella

Labidomera suturella, commonly known as the tropical milkweed leaf beetle is a species of beetle from the family Chrysomelidae.[1]

"Tropical milkweed leaf beetle" redirects here. It is not to be confused with milkweed leaf beetle.

Labidomera suturella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Family:
Chrysomelidae
Genus:
Labidomera
Species:
L. suturella
Binomial name
Labidomera suturella
Chevrolat

Description

L. suturella is a small, rounded beetle with a black head, pronotum, and elytra - the elytra are spotted with orange or yellow patches.

Distribution

L. suturella has a native range in Central and Southern America, from Northern Mexico to Brazil.[2]

Lifecycle

Adults are active between April and August.[3]

A study has shown that this species exhibits maternal care of larvae; they were observed guarding larvae whilst feeding on Witheringia heteroclita in Costa Rica[1] This was a response to predatory threats, as worker ants of Paraponera clavata were observed carrying larvae to their nest.[1]

Diet

As the common name suggests, L. suturella is primarily associated with milkweeds (Asclepias).

References
  1. Choe, J.C. (1989). "Maternal care in Labidomera suturella Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae) from Costa Rica". Psyche. 96 (1–2): 63–68. doi:10.1155/1989/62318.
  2. Blackwelder, R.E. (1944–1957). "Checklist of the Coleopterous insects of Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America, part 4". Bulletin of the United States National Museum. 185.
  3. Quinn, M. (2006). "Tropical Milkweed Leaf Beetle". Texas Beetle Information. Retrieved 2017-07-21.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.