Lygaeus kalmii

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Lygaeus kalmii
Small milkweed bug (30881).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Lygaeidae
Genus: Lygaeus
Species:
L. kalmii
Binomial name
Lygaeus kalmii
Stål, 1874
Adult Lygaeus kalmii Lygaeus kalmii P1500187a.jpg
Adult Lygaeus kalmii

Lygaeus kalmii, known as the small milkweed bug or common milkweed bug, is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. It is found in Central and North America. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

Lygaeus kalmii was first formally named in 1874 by Swedish entomologist Carl Stål in his Enumeratio Hemipterorum. [4] [3]

There are two recognized subspecies: [3]

Description

Young nymphs of Lygaeus kalmii are initially fully red, developing black diagonal markings on the pronotum. Adults are orange to red and gray/black, reaching 10 to 12 mm (0.39 to 0.47 in) in length. The head is black with a red spot in the center. The forewings are patterned with a black heart inside of an orange-red X which does not meet in the middle. [2] [5]

The membranous portion of the forewings in the eastern subspecies Lygaeus kalmii angustomarginatus has a narrow white margin, while that of the western L. k. kalmii has white spots and a broader margin. [2]

The small milkweed bug is commonly confused with other black and red or orange insects, including Oncopeltus fasciatus , Lygaeus turcicus , and Lygaeus reclivatus . [6]

Distribution and reproduction

Lygaeus kalmii angustomarginatus is found in north temperate regions of North America and is not a migratory insect. [7] Only adults overwinter and they do not begin reproduction until the following April. Females are receptive to males in all seasons. [8] The eggs are laid on milkweed ( Asclepias spp.) in the spring. [2]

Diet

Small milkweed bugs' primary sources of nutrients are flower nectar and milkweed seeds. If these food sources are limited, they may feed on other insects. [9]

References

  1. "Lygaeus kalmii Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Lygaeus kalmii species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  3. 1 2 3 Dellapé, Pablo M.; Henry, Thomas J. (2019). "species Lygaeus kalmii Stal, 1874". Lygaeoidea Species File. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  4. Stål, Carl (1870). Enumeratio hemipterorum : bidrag till en förteckning öfver alla hittills kända hemiptera, jemte systematiska meddelanden . Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  5. "Milkweed Bugs, Large and Small (Family Lygaedidae)". Field Station. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  6. "Lygaeus kalmii: Similar Species". iNaturalist.org. Retrieved 9 August 2020. Based on misidentifications on iNaturalist.
  7. Aldrich, J. R.; Oliver, J. E. (1999-06-01). "Pheromones and colonization: reassessment of the milkweed bug migration model (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae: Lygaeinae)". Chemoecology. 9 (2): 63–71. Bibcode:1999Chmec...9...63A. doi:10.1007/s000490050035. ISSN   0937-7409.
  8. Hunt, Linda-Margaret (Spring 1979). "Observations of the Habits of Lygaeus Kalmii Angustomarginatus (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) in Southern Michigan". The Great Lakes Entomologist. 12 (1): 1–3.
  9. Root, Richard B. (1986). "The life of a California population of the facultative milkweed bug, Lygaeus kalmii (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae)". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 88.