 | Joe Boggs reported that seed bugs (Order Hemiptera; Family Lygaeidae) found during this week's BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About at Glenwood Gardens in Cincinnati provided excellent examples of bug ID challenges that can make diagnostoids a bit buggy. Participants first came across a SMALL MILKWEED BUG (Lygaeus kalmii) hanging-out on a Canada thistle. The first ID challenge was presented by finding the bug on a non-host, although the bug was not feeding. A number of identities were proposed including BOXELDER BUG (Boisea trivittatus).
|  | Despite their common name, boxelder bugs can indeed be found on wide range of plants. Both the small milkweed bug and boxelder bug share the same general elongated body form and both sport grayish-black and orangish-red color motifs. However, small milkweed bugs have black eyes while boxelder bugs have red eyes. Also, the "red X" that is sometimes mistakenly ascribed to boxelder bugs actually appears on small milkweed bugs, although the "X" is more orangish-red. Boxelder bugs have wings outlined in orangish-red, and they have a broken orangish-red line that runs down the center of their back. The line ends at an inverted "V" produced by the orangish-red highlight crossing the middle part of their wings. |  < | The plot thickened when the group came across an ASTER-CONEFLOWER BUG (L. turcicus) on a planting of Heliopsis spp. This bug presents two ID challenges. First, it does not have a common name. The bug specializes in feeding on the developing seeds of plants in the Aster family (Asteraceae), so the aster-coneflower pseudo-common name, simply represents an amalgam of common hosts. The second challenge is web-based. A web search will reveal that some websites give the turcicus specific epithet to the small milkweed bug (wrong!). While the web offers great help in insect identification, let the searcher beware! |
| The web mix-up between small milkweed bugs and aster-coneflower bugs can no doubt be traced to their very similar appearance. Both are similar sized, both have black eyes, and both sport orangish-red "X" markings. However, the small milkweed bug has a very broad triangle in the top part of the "X" while the aster-coneflower bug has the triangle broken into two smaller arrow-shaped markings. Also, the orangish-red cross-marking on the "shoulders" of the small milkweed bug has two black spots which are lacking on the aster-coneflower bug. Finally, the plant host will tell the full story. Small milkweed bugs are very host-specific since they have adapted to feeding on toxic plants. Aster-coneflower bugs would be caught dead on milkweed. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 18 July 2008 02:58 )
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