Tetraopes femoratus or T. texanus...? - Tetraopes texanus - BugGuide.Net

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Copyright © 2010 E Moon

Tetraopes femoratus or T. texanus...? - Tetraopes texanus

Williamson County, Texas, USA
May 8, 2010

Seen on _Asclepias viridis_ (Green Antelope Horns Milkweed) inflorescence in early afternoon. Despite looking back and forth at images here, I can't tell which of the two this is (I hope I got it down to just two candidates.) The only difference I can see (amateur that I am) is that the two "front" spots on the elytra seem to be paler, faded, in images of the _T. texanus_ specimen, but that's a mounted individual, not a live insect. I'm sure I'm missing something, but what?

Images of this individual: tag all

Tetraopes femoratus or T. texanus...? - Tetraopes texanus

Tetraopes femoratus or T. texanus...? - Tetraopes texanus

Contributed by E Moon on 8 May, 2010 - 9:55pm
Last updated 5 October, 2012 - 5:02pm

Tetraopes texanus --det. D. Heffern

his comment: "the apical antennal segment is distinctly pointed; no other Tetraopes has the same feature."

Moved from Milkweed Longhorns.

… v belov, 3 July, 2011 - 9:34pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Blaine Mathison, 10 May, 2010 - 10:56am

this image does not give enough detail

do you have a higher resolution pic? You need to see the setae at the antenomeres and the shape of the last one. Check out the info for T texanus!

… margarethe brummermann, 9 May, 2010 - 9:59pm

I've added another image with

I've added another image with a close-up of the antennae--comments?

… E Moon, 10 May, 2010 - 6:37pm

Thanks...a clue is useful! I

Thanks...a clue is useful! I think this is T texanus--in the full-size version of the best shot (not the one here--I picked the wrong one) I can just see the setae and the shape of the tip of the left antenna.

This was a grab shot--I looked down, saw a red something on the milkweed, and started shooting--the insect very quickly crawled in among the individual flowers, and the wind was blowing pretty hard too, shaking the plant. (Or maybe I'm not that good a photographer.

Whatever it is, it's a handsome little beastie.

… E Moon, 9 May, 2010 - 11:06pm

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