''Labidomera suturella'', commonly known as the tropical milkweed leaf beetle is a species of
beetle from the family
Chrysomelidae
The insects of the beetle family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles, and include over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making up one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle ...
.
Description
''L. suturella'' is a small, rounded beetle with a black head,
pronotum, and
elytra - the elytra are spotted with orange or yellow patches.
Distribution
''L. suturella'' has a native range in Central and Southern America, from Northern Mexico to Brazil.
Lifecycle
Adults are active between April and August.
A study has shown that this species exhibits maternal care of larvae; they were observed guarding larvae whilst feeding on ''
Witheringia heteroclita'' in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
This was a response to predatory threats, as worker ants of ''
Paraponera clavata'' were observed carrying larvae to their nest.
Diet
As the common name suggests, ''L. suturella'' is primarily associated with milkweeds (''
Asclepias
''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to humans ...
'').
References
Chrysomelinae
Taxa named by Louis Alexandre Auguste Chevrolat
{{Chrysomelinae-stub