Milkweed Longhorn Beetle

I learned that there are twenty-six species of milkweed longhorn beetles (Tetraopes spp.) and up to fifteen of those are in the US. I found references to three species where Ms. Mesquitey and I were traipsing around in the Chiricahua Mountains. The beetle I saw and photographed on Lemmon’s milkweed (Asclepias lemmonii) is Tetraopes femoratus or the red femured milkweed borer…cute red thighs on their beetle legs. Oh, the color of this beetle, red with some black spots gives you a chance to use the word aposematic, meaning; inedible or yech! And, I’m pretty excited about the fact that this…