The swamp milkweed leaf beetle (Labidomera clivicollis) is found on the various milkweeds it eats, often in grassy areas or on roadsides. The exact pattern of orange and black varies among individuals.
Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle
Labidomera clivicollis
Family:
Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles) in the order Coleoptera (beetles)
Description:
The swamp milkweed leaf beetle is found on the various milkweeds it eats, often in grassy areas or on roadsides. The exact pattern of orange and black varies among individuals.
Adult swamp milkweed leaf beetles can be nearly ½ inch long. When feeding on milkweeds, they start by clipping the side veins off the leaves, draining the sticky, toxic sap that is the plant's defense against herbivores.
It is just one of about 2,000 species of leaf beetles in North America, and many of them are quite colorful.
Learn more about this and other leaf beetles (chrysomelids) on their group page.
Similar Species
Leaf Beetles
About 2,000 species in North America
Lady Beetles (Ladybird Beetles; Ladybugs)
Nearly 500 species in North America north of Mexico
Carrion Beetles (Burying Beetles)
Nicrophorus, Necrophila, Necrodes, and others
Longhorned Beetles (Borers; Sawyer Beetles)
About 1,000 species in North America north of Mexico
Weevils (Snout Beetles; Bark Beetles)
About 2,500 species in North America north of Mexico
Tumblebugs
Canthon spp.
Red-Headed Ash Borer
Neoclytus acuminatus
Polished Lady Beetle
Cycloneda munda
Banded Longhorn
Typocerus velutinus
Milkweed Longhorns
Tetraopes spp.
About Land Invertebrates in Missouri
Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including earthworms, slugs, snails, and arthropods. Arthropods—invertebrates with “jointed legs” — are a group of invertebrates that includes crayfish, shrimp, millipedes, centipedes, mites, spiders, and insects. There may be as many as 10 million species of insects alive on earth today, and they probably constitute more than 90 percent all animal species.