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swamp milkweed leaf beetle

It is round bodied, 8–11 mm in length with a black head and pronotum and bright orange to yellow elytra with variable mottled black patches. It is colored and shaped like a super-sized ladybird beetle even though the ladybird is in a different family. The bright coloration of the milkweed leaf beetle is a classic example of Aposematism. Several insects that share some of the same hosts sport similar warning coloration: monarch, milkweed tussock moths, milkweed beetles and milkweed bugs and hence illustrate Műllerian mimicry.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkweed_leaf_beetle

 

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens. Florida

www.gardendestinations.com/exploring-kanapaha-botanical-g...

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Uploaded on April 14, 2025
Taken on April 9, 2025