Cardenolide
Guides
Chrysochus cobaltinus
Cobalt Milkweed Beetle, Blue Milkweed Beetle
Chrysochus cobaltinus is a leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, notable for its iridescent cobalt-blue coloration and specialized association with milkweed and dogbane plants. The species sequesters toxic cardenolides from its host plants for chemical defense against predators. Adults emerge in early summer and remain on host plants for approximately six weeks. The species exhibits polygamous mating with extended post-copulatory mate guarding by males, and hybridizes with its sister species C. auratus in narrow contact zones.
Saucrobotys
Saucrobotys is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, established by Munroe in 1976. The genus contains at least two described species: Saucrobotys fumoferalis and Saucrobotys futilalis. Larvae of at least one species, S. futilalis (the dogbane webworm), are known to feed on dogbane (Apocynum spp.), sequestering the plant's toxic cardenolides for their own chemical defense.