Swamp-milkweed
Guides
Labidomera clivicollis
Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle, Milkweed Leaf Beetle
Labidomera clivicollis is a large leaf beetle specialized on milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). Adults and larvae feed on milkweed foliage, sequestering cardiac glycosides for chemical defense. The species exhibits aposematic orange and black coloration as part of a Müllerian mimicry complex with monarch butterflies and other milkweed feeders. Reproduction is photoperiodically controlled, with short day lengths inducing adult diapause. Larvae suffer high predation mortality, particularly from ground-dispersing predators.