Gregarious-feeding
Guides
Ectrichodiinae
Millipede Assassin Bugs
Ectrichodiinae are a large subfamily of assassin bugs comprising more than 600 species in approximately 115 genera. They are specialized predators of millipedes, capable of circumventing the noxious chemical defenses of their prey. The subfamily exhibits notable diversity in coloration, with both cryptic and aposematic patterns, including bright metallic blue, red, or yellow and black combinations. Females frequently show wing reduction and extreme sexual dimorphism.
Euchaetes egle
Milkweed Tussock Moth, Milkweed Tiger Moth
Euchaetes egle is a tiger moth in the family Erebidae, commonly known as the milkweed tussock moth or milkweed tiger moth. The species is notable for its gregarious caterpillars that feed on milkweeds and dogbane, sequestering cardiac glycosides from their host plants for chemical defense. Adults produce ultrasonic clicks from tymbal organs to warn bats of their unpalatability, representing a rare case of acoustic aposematism. The species occurs across eastern North America with one generation annually in northern regions and two or more in southern areas.
Pristiphora geniculata
mountain ash sawfly, rowan leaf sawfly, Ebereschen-Blattwespe
Pristiphora geniculata is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae, native to the Palaearctic region and introduced to North America. It is a specialized herbivore of Sorbus species, particularly mountain ash (rowan). The species exhibits facultative parthenogenesis and shows pronounced sexual dimorphism in larval development, with females having five instars compared to four in males. In eastern Canada, it typically produces two generations annually, though only one in northern Quebec and at higher elevations in Europe. The species has been the target of successful classical biological control programs using the parasitoid wasp Olesicampe geniculatae.