Blackened Milkweed Beetle

This was a new species for me. Like Red Milkweed Beetle, it feeds on milkweeds, but it favors butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) rather than common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). The heart shape on its elytra is distinctive.

This was a new species for me. Like Red Milkweed Beetle, it feeds on milkweeds, but it favors butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) rather than common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). The heart shape on its elytra is distinctive.

This was a new species for me. Like Red Milkweed Beetle, it feeds on milkweeds, but it favors butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) rather than common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). The heart shape on its elytra is distinctive.

The British Coleoptera delineated,. London,W. Crofts,1840.. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39307078