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Photo#821948
Axion plagiatum, var. texanum - Axion plagiatum

Axion plagiatum, var. texanum - Axion plagiatum
Victoria, Victoria County, Texas, USA
August 7, 2013
Size: 6 mm
I found it in backyard on an Agave leaf.
The body is glossy black. It has two red spots, one on each elytron.
I think it has a white spot on top of the head, usually hidden in the retracted position of the head. See and
Other white spots are due to flash/light.
Comparing with Axion plagiatum's photos from BG, this one has, on ventral side, the black pattern more reduced in size.

Images of this individual: tag all
Axion plagiatum, var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum Axion plagiatum var. texanum - Axion plagiatum

Moved
Moved from Lady Beetles.

Axion plagiatum var. texanum - rare and local form
The reason it doesn't look like a typical A. plagiatum is that it isn't a typical A. plagiatum: this form with the pale head and lateral red areas on the abdominal sterna is a rare variation occurring only in Texas. It was originally described as Exochomus texanus by LeConte in 1858, in Latin; the relevant parts, translated, are "head obscurely red" and "thorax and abdominal segments laterally red."

LeConte, J. L. 1858. Descriptions of new species of Coleoptera, chiefly collected by the United States and Mexican Boundary Commission, under Maj. W. H. Emory, U.S.A. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. 10:59-89.

Original description

Moved
Moved from Beetles.

nothing native...accidental via shipping, maybe
This is definitely not a native species, it doesn't match any of the red-spotted black lady beetles in North America. You do have the correct subfamily, Chilocorinae; I'd suspect genus Chilocorus, but not sure.

Since Victoria is connected to a major Gulf Coast seaport, and is also a huge transportation hub for land shipments, I would guess that this beetle hitched a ride on a ship or truck, perhaps from Central or South America. I've got some good references for South American coccinellids, I'll check those. There aren't many good resources for Central American coccinellids, though. I'll see what I can do - this is intriguing!

 
Thank you
I added two more pictures. But I do not know if it helps. I am not able to take better pictures for antenna.
I am supposed to be Axion plagiatum, just because he has black spot on the ventral side in the lower abdomen.
I still have the beetle and it is alive.
If I know an entomologist in town I could give it. But I don't know.
I don't think I could preserve it because I have no experience in this regard.

 
it IS genus Axion; will do more research
I keyed it out and it does key to genus Axion; the white head is still throwing me off, though. I'll do some more research and see if it is A. plagiatum or a different sp. of Axion.

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