Red Milkweed Beetles - Tetraopes tetrophthalmus
The male (on top) was multitasking: he was guarding the female and pooping, while she was busy eating.
The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek for "four eyes." Many longhorn beetles have antennae that are situated very near the eye. However, in the red milkweed beetle, this adaptation has been carried to an extreme: the bases of the antennae actually bisect the eye. Odd, but interesting.
Habitat: Milkweed growing beside a pond
The red milkweed beetle is a beetle in the family Cerambycidae. The binomial genus and species names are both derived from the Latin for "four eyes." As in many longhorn beetles, the antennae are situated very near the eye–in the red milkweed beetle, this adaptation has been carried to an extreme: the antennal base actually bisects the eye.
