Tetraopes tetrophthalus on Common Milkweed - Tetraopes tetrophthalmus - BugGuide.Net

HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Clickable Guide

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

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData

Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Longhorn and Leaf Beetles (Chrysomeloidea) » Longhorn Beetles (Cerambycidae) » Flat-faced Longhorn Beetles (Lamiinae) » Tetraopini » Milkweed Longhorn Beetles (Tetraopes) » Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus)

Photo#2141667

Copyright © 2022 Carrie Latour

Tetraopes tetrophthalus on Common Milkweed - Tetraopes tetrophthalmus

Nashua, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA
July 8, 2022

Found at dusk on a leaf of Asclepias syriaca. The plant is against a porch that had the porch light on. I have several other patches of Common Milkweed that aren't near artificial light. They seem to attract fewer beetles.

tag · login or register to post comments

Contributed by Carrie Latour on 8 July, 2022 - 9:18pm
Last updated 8 July, 2022 - 11:39pm

I would suggest

that the proximity of the plants to an artificial light source would have no bearing on the beetles' attraction to the plant. The genus Tetraopes is strongly diurnal, and I've never encountered one that was attracted to a light. The red coloration is aposematic - warning predators that the beetles feed on a toxic foodplant - hence their boldness in perching on the tops of milkweed in broad daylight.

… Robert Androw, 9 July, 2022 - 11:37am

login or register to post comments

They will pull in their legs and drop to the ground

if they really feel threatened. I was in southern Ohio this past week and saw a roadside patch of milkweed with literally hundreds of Tetraopes - sitting at the tips of leaves, on the flowers, mating, flying around the plants. Despite my 45+ years of hunting cerambycids, I never tire of seeing this species - so pretty!

… Robert Androw, 10 July, 2022 - 11:05am

login or register to post comments

Milkweed bug

Thank you for the comments. They definitely are bold, they don't even try to move away from me when I handle the plants. Found them in daylight today.

… Carrie Latour, 10 July, 2022 - 12:03am

login or register to post comments

Ooops!

Meant to reply to your comment - not my own!!

… Robert Androw, 10 July, 2022 - 11:05am

login or register to post comments

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Brady Richards, 8 July, 2022 - 11:39pm

login or register to post comments

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:

Printer Friendly Version

Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact