CJ's Desert Dwellers: Small Milkweed Bug Lygaeus kalmii
Family Lygaeidae (Seed Bugs)
Length: 10 - 12 mm
Identification info: Adult: dark gray to black with broad orange or red band on forewing, forming an "X" shape that doesn't quite meet in the middle; head black with dull red spot on top, sometimes extending down onto face. Nymphs (immatures) look like the adults except that they do not have full wings and their color pattern is different. Black wing pads appear early in development. Nymphs have bright red abdomens. Milkweed bugs usually molt 5 times
Small Milkweed Bugs Lygaeus kalmii feed on seeds and tissue of the milkweed plant (Asclepias spp.). Their habitats are fields, meadows, desert areas containing milkweed and other flowers. Adults suck nectar from flowers of various herbaceous plants, and also feed on milkweed seeds.
Pictured here are two adult
Small Milkweed Bugs Lygaeus kalmii in the process of mating, with a nymph playing the voyeur role. They are on their namesake plant, a
Desert Milkweed Asclepias subulata.
Milkwed bugs are found across the US and Canada. The Large Milkweed bug is found from the Rocky Mountains and east.
Additional Info: Note the aphids, (small yellow) in the background.
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