Lygaeus kalmii

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Paraneoptera
Superordo: Condylognatha
Ordo: Hemiptera
Subordo: Heteroptera
Infraordo: Pentatomomorpha
Superfamilia: Lygaeoidea

Familia: Lygaeidae
Subfamilia: Lygaeinae
Genus: Lygaeus
Species: Lygaeus kalmii
Name

Lygaeus kalmii Stål, 1874

References

The life of a Californian population of the facultative milkweed bug, Lygaeus kalmii (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae).
Dispersal of Lygaeus kalmii (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) among prairie milkweeds: population turnover as influenced by multiple mating.
Host-associated fitness trade-offs do not limit the evolution of diet breadth in the small milkweed bug Lygaeus kalmii (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae).
Pheromones and colonization: reassessment of the milkweed bug migration model (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae: Lygaeinae).
Bet-hedging and the evolution of multiple mating.

Selected links

iNaturalist

Vernacular names
English: Common milkweed bug, small milkweed bug

Lygaeus kalmii, known as the small milkweed bug, vaca Domnului or common milkweed bug, is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. It is found in Central America, North America, and Europe.[1][2][3]

Taxonomy

Lygaeus kalmii was first formally named in 1874 by Swedish entomologist Carl Stål in his Enumeratio Hemipterorum.[4][3]

There are two recognized subspecies:[3]

Lygaeus kalmii angustomarginatus Parshley, 1919 – eastern small milkweed bug
Lygaeus kalmii kalmii Stal, 1874 – western small milkweed bug

Description

Young nymphs of Lygaeus kalmii are initially fully red, developing black diagonal markings on the pronotum. Adults are orange to red and gray/black, reaching 10 to 12 mm (0.39 to 0.47 in) in length. The head is black with a red spot in the center. The forewings are patterned with a black heart inside of an orange-red X which does not meet in the middle.[2][5]

The membranous portion of the forewings in the eastern subspecies Lygaeus kalmii angustomarginatus has a narrow white margin, while that of the western L. k. kalmii has white spots and a broader margin.[2]

The small milkweed bug is commonly confused with other black and red or orange insects, including Oncopeltus fasciatus, Lygaeus turcicus, and Lygaeus reclivatus.[6]
Distribution and reproduction

Lygaeus kalmii angustomarginatus is found in north temperate regions of North America and is not a migratory insect.[7] Only adults overwinter and they do not begin reproduction until the following April. Females are receptive to males in all seasons.[8] The eggs are laid on milkweed (Asclepias spp.) in the spring.[2]
Diet

Small milkweed bugs' primary sources of nutrients are flower nectar and milkweed seeds. If these food sources are limited, they may feed on other insects.[9]
References

"Lygaeus kalmii Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
"Lygaeus kalmii species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
Dellapé, Pablo M.; Henry, Thomas J. (2019). "species Lygaeus kalmii Stal, 1874". Lygaeoidea Species File. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
Stål, Carl (1870). "Enumeratio hemipterorum : bidrag till en förteckning öfver alla hittills kända hemiptera, jemte systematiska meddelanden". Retrieved 9 August 2020.
"Milkweed Bugs, Large and Small (Family Lygaedidae)". Field Station. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
"Lygaeus kalmii: Similar Species". iNaturalist.org. Retrieved 9 August 2020. Based on misidentifications on iNaturalist.
Aldrich, J. R.; Oliver, J. E. (1999-06-01). "Pheromones and colonization: reassessment of the milkweed bug migration model (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae: Lygaeinae)". Chemoecology. 9 (2): 63–71. doi:10.1007/s000490050035. ISSN 0937-7409.
Hunt, Linda-Margaret (Spring 1979). "Observations of the Habits of Lygaeus Kalmii Angustomarginatus (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) in Southern Michigan". The Great Lakes Entomologist. 12 (1): 1–3.
Root, Richard B. (1986). The life of a California population of the facultative milkweed bug, Lygaeus kalmii (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. Vol. 88.