Asclepias-specialist
Guides
Tetraopes femoratus
Red-femured Milkweed Borer
Tetraopes femoratus is a longhorned beetle (family Cerambycidae) in the subfamily Lamiinae, described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1847. It is one of several North American milkweed borer beetles in the genus Tetraopes, all of which are specialized feeders on milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). The species occurs across western and central North America from Canada to Mexico, with records from the western United States and Great Plains region. Adults are typically encountered in late summer and fall, with September collecting records from Oklahoma and late August observations from sagebrush habitats in Nevada.
Tetraopes quinquemaculatus
five-spotted milkweed beetle
Tetraopes quinquemaculatus is a milkweed-associated longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae) described by Haldeman in 1847. It is native to North America and is one of several species in the genus Tetraopes that specialize on milkweeds (Asclepias). The species is considerably less common than the widespread T. tetrophthalmus and has been documented from sand prairie and dry sandy habitats in the Mississippi River Alluvial Basin. Adults are visually distinctive and larvae develop as root borers in living milkweed plants.