The milkweed leaf beetle (''Labidomera clivicollis'') is a species of beetle from the family

Chrysomelidae The insects of the beetle family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles, and include over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making up one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle ...

Description

''L. clivicollis'' is a small, rounded beetle 8–11 mm in length. It has a black head and pronotum, but brightly coloured elytra; variable from dark orange to bright yellow. The elytra are mottled with black patches throughout. The larva of ''L. clivicollis'' is bright orange, with a prominent row of black

spiracle Spiracle or spiraculum may refer to: * Spiracle (arthropods), opening in the exoskeletons of some arthropods * Spiracle (vertebrates), openings on the surface of some vertebrates * Spiraculum, a genus of land snails in family Cyclophoridae Cycl ...

Diet

There are a number of host plants associated with ''L. clivicollis'': milkweeds, especially swamp milkweed (''

Asclepias incarnata ''Asclepias incarnata'', the swamp milkweed, rose milkweed, rose milkflower, swamp silkweed, or white Indian hemp, is a herbaceous perennial plant species native to North America. It grows in damp through wet soils and also is cultivated as a ga ...

'') and common milkweed ('' A. syriaca''); swallow-wort ('' Cynanchum''); twinevine (''

Funastrum ''Funastrum'' is a genus of flowering plant now in the family Apocynaceae. The name is derived from the Latin word ''funis'', meaning "rope", and ''astrum'', alluding to the twining stems. Members of the genus are commonly known as twinevines. S ...

'').

References

Chrysomelinae Taxa named by William Kirby (entomologist) Beetles described in 1837 {{Chrysomelinae-stub