Milkweed leaf beetle

Description

The milkweed leaf beetle (Labidomera clivicollis) is a species of beetle from the family Chrysomelidae. L. clivicollis is a small, rounded beetle 8–11 mm in length. It has a black head and pronotum, but brightly coloured elytra; variable from dark orange to bright yellow. The elytra are mottled with black patches throughout. The larva of L. clivicollis is bright orange, with a prominent row of black spiracles. There are a number of host plants associated with L. clivicollis: milkweeds, especially swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and common milkweed (A. syriaca); swallow-wort (Cynanchum); twinevine (Funastrum). Labidomera is a genus of leaf beetles. The genus Labidomera is assigned to the chrysomelid beetle tribe Doryphorini (located in subfamily Chrysomelinae), which it shares with five other genera: Doryphora, Calligrapha, Leptinotarsa, Proseicela, and Zygogramma.This tribe is characterised within the subfamily by round to oval shaped convex bodies which are usually brightly coloured, simple claws which separate at the base, open cavities behind the procoxae, and a variable apical segment of the maxillary palp. The native range of Labidomera clivicollis is North America, from southern Canada to the central United States. The other species are farther south.