Names and Taxonomy
- Common Names: small milkweed bug or common milkweed bug
- Synonyms:
- Order: Hemiptera (True Bugs)
- Family: Lygaeidae (Seed Bugs)
- Genus Information: 60 species, 2 subspecies
Lygaeus kalmii
Small Milkweed Bug
Introduction:
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. 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.
Life Cycle:
Size 1/2 inch
Sexual Dimorphism:
Metamorphosis:
