box elder bug identification

Children growing up here have been told for years that this bug was a Box Elder beetle. Now with more knowledge about the identification of insects I wanted to find out if the common use of this name for the bug is correct. It seemed that it would be an easy insect to verify with just  a little research online to different insect sites.

A photograph was taken of the bug so it could be looked at more closely on the computer. The first observation was that this insect is not a beetle but a true bug.  Then the research went a little deeper because there are several bugs with very similar looks.

The term Box Elder was questionable too. I don't remember ever being shown a Box Elder tree or bush and wanted to know what a Box Elder plant was, really expecting that it was some type of shrub that is commonly grown in the south western deserts of the US.

Instead a Box Elder was found to be a tree in the maple tree family, Acer negundo, which is the plant that female box elder bugs primarily feed on. Now, this didn't quite fit into the southern Nevada desert landscape scenario so became not just a matter of the bug's name but its true identity.   All the information for Box Elder bugs just didn't quite fit this bug.   Well, it turns out that this bug, from a Las Vegas backyard, is a Small Milkweed bug and not a Box Elder bug after all.

The proper identification is a Small Milkweed bug, Lygaeaus kalmii. A Box Elder bug is a Boisea rubrolineata.

One other bug found online that looks quite similar is the Melacoryphus lateralis that are attracted to the lights at night in Arizona and Nevada in July and August and I will be watching for those and a true Box Elder Bug if there are any here.

Years ago when Las Vegas was much smaller even out near the edges of town this bug or another similar looking bug species was commonly seen. It is possible that there are actually several different species of bugs that look alike and come out at different times of the year. Calling them all Box Elder bugs or beetles was the easiest way to answer a child's question of "what is that bug?".

Thanks to the Internet which has come a long way in helping everyone have access to more knowledge, we now can find good photos and comments for insect identification. It is becoming easier daily as dedicated scientists and other interested people take pictures and share them for all to see and comment on.

While working in the landscape in California in September this bug was found on an Oleander among the aphids. It looks like the one above so it might be a milkweed bug. When I have time I will track it down too. 

It is a Small Milkweed bug also, it just doesn't have the two white spots.