Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
Home » Forums » Guide Page Improvements

Milkweed Family no longer exists; it's the Milkweed Subfamily (part of the Dogbane Family)

Just noticed BugGuide has not changed the name of the Milkweed Family to a subfamily.

From Wikipedia: "According to APG II, the Asclepiadacea, commonly known as the Milkweed Family, is a former plant family now treated as a subfamily--Subfamily Asclepiadoideae--in the Dogbane Family (Apocynaceae).

Thank you.
login or register to post comments · previous forum topic · next forum topic
Contributed by Mary Jane Seipler on 2 August, 2020 - 5:05pm

May I suggest the Kew Plant List?
I asked a couple botanists at work and they say this is what they base their taxonomy on, so I've been using it for a while now.

http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Apocynaceae/

Aphid's on the World's Plants also uses Apocynaceae.

http://www.aphidsonworldsplants.info/C_HOSTS_Art_Asp.htm#Asclepias
… Natalie Hernandez, 23 September, 2020 - 3:01pm login or register to post comments

BugGuide also hasn't selected an official
plant taxonomy authority that we will follow, so this change, which is being debated back and forth, can't be answered here. Plants.usda has so far kept Asclepiadaceae and the authors of our local flora, Chicago Region, decided to keep Asclepiadaceae. At some point it will likely settle down in some fashion. Until then, folks will know what you mean whichever family name you choose to use.
… john and jane balaban, 3 August, 2020 - 10:35am login or register to post comments

Plant taxonomy
BugGuide does not have a central point for plant taxonomy. Each time a plant is mentioned, it is specific to an insect taxon.

For example, under the Monarch page, it lists larval diet as:
The caterpillars feed on plants in the Milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae [or Apocynaceae in part])...

Did you have a specific page that you wanted updated?
… Jeff Brown, 2 August, 2020 - 9:05pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact