Wonder of the Week

Rocky Mountain Snail

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Rocky Mountain Snail Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/08/2021 - 00:00

The Rocky Mountain snail is a species of land snail common throughout North America's Rocky Mountains but is one of 40 varieties endemic to Colorado. These shelled gastropods are identified by their low to moderately well elevated spire relative to their size. These particular snails have sinistral shells, meaning they coil counter-clockwise. The names of the directions that shells coil are dextral for right-handed (clockwise) and sinistral for left-handed (counterclockwise)–these are the same roots for the words dexterous and sinister.

This specimen was collected in 1915 by the founder of the CU Museum, Junius Henderson, who believed this variety of Oreohelix is a unique variant. Henderson specialized in molluscs, specifically snails. When this specimen was preserved, the researcher (presumably Henderson) dissected the specimen for preservation within our collection and found that the embryos were preserved with these snail specimens. What may strike you as unique is that the embryos and the adult Oreohelix shells spiral in opposite directions. Researchers believe a number of abiotic factors, meaning physical instead of biological, contribute the direction in which shells spiral. Oreohelix snails are ovoviviparous, which means their eggs hatch in the uterus and continue developing before they are born. While an inch might not seem large for a snail, the embryos preserved in this image tell another tale.

The Rocky Mountain snail is medium to large, with adults varying from 15-25 mm (0.6-1 in)². While these gastropods are common in rocky foothills, coming across one is unlikely unless you’re shuffling through the decomposing matter near trees. This gastropod is detritivorous, meaning it prefers the decomposing matter of deciduous forests³. Land snails are vitally important to forest ecosystems, as they consume the fallen matter and help fix the soil’s nitrogen and phosphorous levels.

Henderson, Junius, and L. E. Daniels. "Hunting Mollusca in Utah and Idaho in 1916." Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (1917): 48-81.
1. https://www.fs.fed.us/r6/sfpnw/issssp/documents3/sfs-ig-oreohelix-strigosa-delicata-2015-05-508.pdf
2. https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibits/living-landscapes/cbasin/molluscs/oreohelicidae.html
3. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1114&context=biology_posters

Oreohelix strigosa, common name Rocky Mountain snail
Tooele, Utah
Third canyon north of Smelter, about 6 miles northeast of Tooele
Collected by L.E. Daniels and J. Henderson
28 August 1915

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Western Conifer-Seed Bug

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Western Conifer-Seed Bug Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/01/2021 - 00:00

The Western Conifer-Seed Bug is a true bug native to the pine forests of western North America that has quickly spread eastward since the 1950s. Pest specialists surmise that these bugs were accidentally introduced to eastern North America through wooden shipping crates on trains or through commercial Christmas trees. After becoming established in eastern North America, they were repeatedly introduced across Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. By the late 1990s, the Western Conifer-Seed Bug was recorded in Northern Italy and has since been found on almost all continents with the exception of Antarctica.

True bugs develop through a process called incomplete metamorphosis, where their body form gradually matures with each molt. After mating in the spring, female Western Conifer-Seed Bugs lay cylindrical eggs on various species of conifer trees, firmly glued to the length the pine needles. The eggs are light brown, and slowly turn to reddish brown as they mature. After about 10 days, the eggs hatch and a juvenile or nymph emerges. The nymphs molt five times, with both the body size and wing pads growing at each molt. After the fifth molt, an adult like the one in the specimen photo emerges.

Both the nymphs and adults feed on developing seeds within pinecones throughout the summer. They stick their needle-like proboscis into the seed, inject a digestive liquid that breaks down the seed’s energy stores and then drink the liquid. This process damages the seed—if there are too many Western Conifer-Seed Bugs in one area it prevents the trees from successfully reproducing. These bugs were first recorded as feeding on Douglas Firs, but have since been recorded on various species of conifers across the planet and wreak havoc outside of their native range.

In the winter, the adults hibernate under tree bark, in bird nests, rodent holes, shipping containers, or in buildings. Bugs who successfully find refuge indoors are commonly spotted throughout the winter months. When temperatures in the spring warm, the bugs awaken from hibernation and feed on the pollen from male conifer trees until the seeds begin to develop.

So, you might be wondering “what good are these energy sucking, stinky (we didn’t even tell you that they smell bad!), tree-killing insect invaders?” We can’t answer that question, but we do encourage you to remember that while it might not be obvious to us, in their native habitat they would be kept in balance through evolutionary processes. They might bug us, but there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ bugs.

1 Lesieur, V., Lombaert, E., Guillemaud, T., Courtial, B., Strong, W., Roques, A., & Auger-Rozenberg, M.-A. (2019). The rapid spread of Leptoglossus occidentalis in Europe: A bridgehead invasion. Journal of Pest Science, 92(1), 189–200.
Gullan, P. J., & Cranston, P. S. (2014). The Insects: An Outline of Entomology: Vol. 5. Wiley-Blackwell.
2 Koerber, T. W. (1963). Leptoglossus occidentalis (Hemiptera, Coreidae), a Newly Discovered Pest of Coniferous Seed. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 56(2), 229–234.

Common name: Western Conifer-Seed Bug
Scientific name: Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann (Family: Coridae)
Catalog number: UCMC 0167372
Label data: USA: Boulder County Colorado; 1 January 1931, H.G. Rodeck

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Mourning Cloak Butterfly

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Mourning Cloak Butterfly Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/25/2021 - 00:00

The Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Nymphalis antiopoa ) is one of the earliest (and the latest) flying butterflies in its native range, which spans widely across temperate North America and Eurasia. These butterflies are relatively large, with up to 4” wingspans. Their wings are purplish black with a bright yellow margin and one set of iridescent blue dots around the edges of both sets of wings. The common name “Mourning Cloak” is similar in many languages throughout its range, referring to the darkened wing color representing a cloak, and the yellow margin as the fringe of a yellow dress worn underneath the cloak.

Like all butterflies and moths, the Mourning Cloak undergoes complete metamorphosis consisting of four stages: first as an egg laid upon a host plant, which hatches into a caterpillar that feeds on leaves, then pupates into a chrysalis, and finally emerges as a butterfly. The Mourning Cloak’s host plants, or the plants eaten by very hungry caterpillars, include willow, elm, cottonwood, aspen, birch, and hackberry.

This butterfly flies so early in the spring because it passes the winter months as an adult butterfly, overwintering in hollow trees or other protected areas, and flies whenever it is warm enough. In contrast to the Mourning Cloak, most butterflies weather the cold winter months as caterpillars or in their chrysalis and take longer to emerge as adults. On a warm winter day, it is possible to see these butterflies flying in search of sugary tree sap, the carbohydrate source that sustains them. When temperatures drop again, they will quickly return to their overwintering site until it gets warm again. It is common to see these butterflies on warm, sunny winter days. Upon the arrival of spring, the butterflies will come out of hibernation for the last time, mate, and the cycle begins again.

Mourning Cloak males are territorial. They perch and periodically make patrolling flights through their territory. If an invader passes through their territory, they will fly towards them. This past spring, a day-flying bat was observed encroaching on Mourning Cloak territory. As the bat flew through their space, two butterflies flew after it!

The specimen pictured was captured on Colorado’s Lookout Mountain by the well-known lepidopterist, Donald Eff, one of the three authors of Colorado Butterflies. The CU Museum of Natural History acquired his collection and field notes about 30 years ago. These specimens and notes are still regularly referenced by other Lepidoptera researchers around the country.

Holland, W. J. (1898). The Butterfly Book. Doubleday & McClure Co.
Anich, N. M., White, J. P., & Anich, S. E. (2020). Interspecific Territorial Behavior of Two Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa) in Response to a Diurnally Active Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Northeastern Naturalist, 27(3).
Brown, F. M., Eff, J. D., & Rotger, B. (1956). Colorado Butterflies. Proc. Denver Mus. Nat. Hist.

Common name: Mourning Cloak
Scientific name: Nymphalis antiopoa L. (Family: Nymphalidae)
Catalog number: UCMC 0197164
Label data: USA: Jefferson County Colorado; Lookout Mountain; 25 June 1974, Donald Eff

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The Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Nymphalis antiopoa ) is one of the earliest (and the latest) flying butterflies in its native range, which spans widely across temperate North America and Eurasia. These butterflies are relatively large, with up to 4” wingspans. Their wings are purplish black with a bright yellow margin and one set of iridescent blue dots around the edges of both sets of wings. The common name “Mourning Cloak” is similar in many languages throughout its range, referring to the darkened wing color representing a cloak, and the yellow margin as the fringe of a yellow dress worn underneath the cloak.

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Fossil Mantis

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Fossil Mantis Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/18/2021 - 00:00

This specimen, Lithophotina floccusa, was found and officially described by TDA Cockerell (Curator CU Museum of Natural History) in 1908 as the first fossil mantis known from the United States¹. This fossil from the Eocene (56-33.9 million years ago) provides a link between the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution (125-80 million years ago), when mantids first appear in the fossil record, and today when we observe living mantids (including the praying mantis which is found in Colorado).

Since the time it was collected from the Eocene fossil beds in Florissant Colorado, relatively few mantis fossils have been described and the evolutionary history of mantids has remained unclear. But, a new study by Demers-Potvin et al. (2021)² reexamined the wing morphology of known mantis fossils, including this one, and some newly discovered fossils from Canada to try and gain a better understanding of how they are related to each other and modern groups of mantids. Even though Lithophotina floccusa was collected over 100 years ago, this was the first time it was included in a phylogenetic analysis. The new study indicated that Lithophotina floccusa might be closely related to the Metallyticidae, which are an extant group of mantises that live in Southeast Asia today!

1. Cockerell, T. (1908). The First American Fossil Mantis. The Canadian Entomologist, 40(10), 343-344. doi:10.4039/Ent40343-10
2. Demers‐Potvin, A.V., Larsson, H.C., Cournoyer, M. and Béthoux, O. (2021), Wing morphology of a new Cretaceous praying mantis solves the phylogenetic jigsaw of early‐diverging extant lineages. Syst Entomol, 46: 205-223. https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12457

Catalog Number: UCM 4527
Scientific Name: Lithophotina floccusa
Description: wing of a fossil mantis
Collected by TDA Cockerell early 1900s, Florissant, Colorado
Age: Eocene

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Toad Bug

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Toad Bug Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/11/2021 - 00:00

Toad Bugs (Family: Gelastrocoridae) really live up to their name as they spend much of their time in or around water. Their hopping about can cause them to easily be mistaken for their Amphibian counterparts. These true bugs can be found in temperate zones near water, but their diversity increases near the tropics. Immature nymphs in this family will cover their exoskeleton with sand, which is thought to increase protection and provide a layer of camouflage to potential predators. As adults, these big-eyed bugs exhibit intricate color patterns and textures on their exoskeleton, which increases their ability to blend into their shore-line habitats as they sit and wait for unsuspecting prey.

Members of the genus Gelastrocoris, like this Toad Bug, possess a unique hunting feature not seen in many other arthropods: raptorial forelimbs. This Toad Bug will sit and wait on the shoreline for an unsuspecting smaller insect, blending completing into its surroundings. When the time is right, they will thrust their entire body into the air, leaping on top of their prey, and using their raptorial forelimbs to grab and feed on their catch.

Cheng, Lanna. 1976. Scripps Institute of Oceanography Technical Report: Marine Insects. San Diego, CA. North Holland Publishing Company.

Common name: Toad Bug
Scientific name: Gelastrocoris oculatus (Family: Gelastrocoridae)
Catalog number: UCMC 0049017
Label data: Boulder Co., Colo.; August 1939; Hugo G. Rodeck

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Toad Bugs (Family: Gelastrocoridae) really live up to their name as they spend much of their time in or around water. Their hopping about can cause them to easily be mistaken for their Amphibian counterparts. These true bugs can be found in temperate zones near water, but their diversity increases near the tropics. Immature nymphs in this family will cover their exoskeleton with sand, which is thought to increase protection and provide a layer of camouflage to potential predators. As adults, these big-eyed bugs exhibit intricate color patterns and textures on their exoskeleton, which increases their ability to blend into their shore-line habitats as they sit and wait for unsuspecting prey.

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Giant Horned Lizard

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 15:29:51 +0000

Giant Horned Lizard Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/04/2021 - 09:29

The giant horned lizard is endemic to the Pacific coast of southern Mexico. It is the largest species of horned lizard, reaching up to 8 inches from snout to tail. Multiple rows of scales that have been modified into large pointy spines cover its body, forming an intimidating armor.

This video captures a computerized tomography or CT scan of the head of a giant horned lizard currently stored in a jar of ethanol in the CU Museum’s Herpetology Collection. CT scanning enables researchers to visualize the skeletal anatomy within the pickled specimen without performing a destructive dissection. By compiling multiple x-ray “slices” taken at different angles into a single three-dimensional image, CT scans allow for precise measuring and exploration of internal body structures. Among other things, this scan illustrates that the spikes on the top of the head are true horns with a boney core, distinct from the modified scale spines covering the rest of the lizard’s body. Thanks to museum technologies such as this, we know more information about what lies within this 47-year-old giant horned lizard, and both the specimen and CT scan can be used again and again to answer different future research questions.

Over the next several years, a team of museum staff and students at CU Boulder will collect high-tech 2D and 3D images of roughly 1,100 species of reptiles and amphibians housed in the CU Museum’s collections. The effort is a partnership with the University of California Berkeley and University of Florida, called oMeso and is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. The main focus of this effort is on animals from Mesoamerica. The images will be publicly available through the Museum’s collections database and an exhibition in both English and Spanish is scheduled for 2023.

UCM 51066 Phrynosoma asio
5 August 1973
Mexico, Colima
https://arctos.database.museum/guid/UCM:Herp:51066

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Monarch butterfly

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Monarch butterfly Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 07/28/2021 - 00:00

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are perhaps one of the most well-known insects in North America. They are easily recognizable by their bright orange wings with black veins and their jet-black abdomens speckled with white spots. Males can be distinguished from females by the two black spots in the center of their hind wing, which females do not have. Can you tell if this Wonder of the Week is a male or female? The caterpillars of this species, found on milkweed, are striped yellow, black and white. The chrysalis is light green with yellow spots along the edge.

Adult Monarchs are migratory insects and can be found in North America from southern Canada in the summer to central Mexico in the winter. There are two distinct groups separated geographically by the Rocky Mountains. The largest group occurs east of the Rocky Mountains and individuals from this group migrate in successive generations in the summer, traveling from their overwintering sites in central Mexico, through Texas, over the plains, and end their journey in the Great Lakes Region. In the fall, these monarchs return to their overwintering site in Mexico. The exact route of travel varies depending on the place of departure. The other group occurs west of the Rockies—less is known about their migratory routes; although Monarchs in California and from Oregon and Washington do overwinter at several sites along the California coast.

Coloradans can see Monarchs passing through the Front Range between mid-June (heading north) and September (heading back south). It is estimated that monarch numbers in the eastern group have declined by about 84% over the last several decades which has been linked to climate change, loss of foraging and overwintering habitat, disease, and use of pesticides in agriculture.¹

Like all butterflies, monarchs undergo complete metamorphosis with four main life stages: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult. Female Monarchs lay eggs on their host plant, many species of milkweed. The egg hatches and the hungry caterpillar feeds on milkweed, which contains cardenolides, or heart poisons. The caterpillars are not affected by the cardenolides and instead sequester this poison in their blood, or hemolymph as it is called in insects. After about two to three weeks the caterpillar has completed growing and it forms a chrysalis. After another one to two weeks, a monarch butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, and continues on its journey. The striking orange coloration serves as a warning to predators, such as birds, that the butterfly is poisonous and should not be eaten. Planting milkweed and discouraging the use of pesticides can help slow the decline of this species.

Common name: Monarch Butterfly
Scientific name: Danaus plexippus (Family: Nymphalidae)
Catalog number: UCMC 0197159
Label data: Sunshine Canyon, Boulder County, Colorado; August 2, 1952; Collected by Don Eff

1. Thogmartin, W. E., Wiederholt, R., Oberhauser, K., Drum, R. G., Diffendorfer, J. E., Altizer, S., Taylor, O. R., Pleasants, J., Semmens, D., Semmens, B., Erickson, R., Libby, K., & Lopez-Hoffman, L. (2017). Monarch butterfly population decline in North America: Identifying the threatening processes. Royal Society Open Science, 4(9), 170760.

2. Reichstein, T., Euw, J. von, Parsons, J. A., & Rothschild, M. (1968). Heart Poisons in the Monarch Butterfly. Science, 161(3844), 861–866.

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Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are perhaps one of the most well-known insects in North America. They are easily recognizable by their bright orange wings with black veins and their jet-black abdomens speckled with white spots. Males can be distinguished from females by the two black spots in the center of their hind wing, which females do not have. Can you tell if this Wonder of the Week is a male or female? The caterpillars of this species, found on milkweed, are striped yellow, black and white. The chrysalis is light green with yellow spots along the edge.

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Blue Larkspur

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Blue Larkspur Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 07/21/2021 - 00:00

Blue Larkspur (Delphinium nuttallianum) is one of nearly a dozen species of this genus in Colorado and is a native of western North America. Delphinium comes from the Greek word for dolphin, which may refer to the shape of its flower bud, or perhaps the nectaries inside the flower that attract bees and hummingbirds.

Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859), an English botanist and zoologist for whom the plant takes its species name, was an eccentric botanist. He would sometimes become so distracted by the plants of western North America that he would get lost when searching for specimens. We are cautious in discussing European naturalists who collected in the American West during the time of westward expansion, but there is evidence that Nuttall was also sympathetic to Indigenous tribes, and it has been recounted that he used his rifle to store seeds.¹

The color of this larkspur is a real rarity in nature—less than 10% of all flowers are blue. One explanation is that it is difficult for plants to produce the color blue, making it a marker of plant-pollinator fitness (akin to the showy colors of male birds being a signal of good fitness).²

All larkspurs contain poisonous compounds that are hazardous to cattle. The same property has made larkspur an effective control of lice on humans and animals since medieval days.

1. https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2015/05/thomas-nuttall
2. https://www.permaculturenews.org/2021/01/28/the-mystery-of-the-blue-flower-natures-rare-colour-owes-its-existence-to-bee-vision/

Specimen Name: Delphinium nuttallianum Pritz
Location: City of Boulder Mountain Park, Bear Canyon. Open Pinus ponderosa slope; ca 7150 ft
Date: June 9, 2015
Collected by: Tim Hogan

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Blue Larkspur (Delphinium nuttallianum) is one of nearly a dozen species of this genus in Colorado and is a native of western North America. Delphinium comes from the Greek word for dolphin, which may refer to the shape of its flower bud, or perhaps the nectaries inside the flower that attract bees and hummingbirds.

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Leaf-cutting bee

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Leaf-cutting bee Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 07/14/2021 - 00:00

Like most bees, this leaf-cutting bee, Megachile brevis, is solitary, with each female building her own nest cells out of bits of leaves and petals without the help of a worker caste. These bees earn the name “leaf-cutter” from the leaves (and petals in the case of M. brevis) they cut to build their nests. This leaf-cutting bee is one of 59 species of Megachile in Colorado and can be found from the coast to coast. If you remember back to the Wonder of the Week from July 29, 2020, this bee, like its relatives, cut circular and oval shaped pieces from leaves and flower petals to construct their nests underground, in cast plant stalks, or curled leaves. All leaf-cutting bees belong to the Megachilidae family, which means “big-lipped family” in Latin. Notice the large mouthpart below the female’s eye in the image, this is a mandible. Mandibles with jagged teeth help her snip leaves and petals for her nest. We can tell roughly how long a female leaf-cutting bee has lived based on the wear of the bee’s teeth and if her wings are torn. Most members of the Megachilidae family can be recognized by the pollen-collecting hairs, called scopa, on the underside of their abdomens. The placement of the scopa is the main distinguishing characteristic for members of the Megachilidae family, as bees in other families carry pollen internally or on their hind legs. Megachilidae sweep up and hold pollen with their scopa. Fun fact, scopa means “broom” in Latin!

Megachile brevis can have up to four generations of offspring per summer², and the final generation spends the winter in its nest as larvae. Nests are made of a series of cells, there may be as few as two or as many as 30 cells depending on space availability. Each cell is built out of leaves and/or petals and supplied with a food ball of pollen and nectar. The female lays a single egg on this ball and seals the cell, and her parental duties to that offspring are complete. Male bees do not assist in nest construction and die shortly after mating with a female. Bees, like many other insects, go through four major life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult (as pictured). The egg will hatch into a larva, which will feed on the pollen left by its mother. If winter is near, development stops here until spring. After the pollen ball is consumed, the larva will develop into a pupa. Pupae (plural) look like white, wingless bees and are very fragile and immobile. The pupae develop into adults, as pictured. The adults leave the nest and start the process anew.

Common name: Leaf-cutting bee
Scientific name: Megachile brevis (Family: Megachilidae)
Catalog number: UCMC 0126663 (female)
Label data: USA: Phillips County, Colorado; USDA field site - Ham4 CRP; July 30, 2013; blue vane trap, Adrian Carper, collector.

1. Scott, V. L., Ascher, J. S., Griswold, T., & Nufio, C. R. (2011). The Bees of Colorado. Natural History Inventory of Colorado, 23, vi–100.
2. Michener, C. D. (1953). The Biology of a Leafcutter Bee (Megachile brevis) and Its Associates. University of Kansas Science Bulletin, 35(3), 98.

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Like most bees, this leaf-cutting bee, Megachile brevis, is solitary, with each female building her own nest cells out of bits of leaves and petals without the help of a worker caste.

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Convergent Lady Beetle

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Convergent Lady Beetle Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 07/07/2021 - 00:00

There are 80 species of lady bird beetles in Colorado, and the Hippodamia convergens or Lady Beetle (like this species found in Delta County), is the most frequently observed across North America.¹ The term “ladybug,” is colloquially accepted to describe the familiar spherical bright red insect with black spots; however, entomologists reserve the word “bug” to refer to true bugs such as stink bugs or boxelder bugs in the order Hemiptera and “beetle” describes insects with one set of hardened wings in the order Coleoptera, which is the order to which ladybird beetles belong. The Convergent Lady Beetle is recognized by the bright reddish-orange wings usually speckled with 12 black spots.

Like butterflies, beetles develop through the process of complete metamorphosis.² The cycle begins as an egg: a mother lady beetle can lay up to 200 eggs in her lifetime, usually in clusters of 20-30 on a plant. The eggs will hatch into black and red larvae, which feed on garden pests including aphids. When food resources are limited, larvae are cannibalistic and will eat eggs and larvae of their own. Next, the larvae mature into immobile pupae. Lastly, the familiar winged red beetle with black spots emerges.

Convergent Lady Beetles are natural enemies of pests commonly found in gardens and greenhouses such as aphids, scales and thrips. The voracious appetite of the lady bird beetle adults and larvae has led to commercial collection and sale of these insects and they can commonly be found for sale at garden stores. Most beetles sold in garden stores are collected from locations in California, and for Colorado gardens it is more advantageous to create habitat for the lady birds than to purchase the insects. Lady birds are migratory, and store-purchased individuals often do not stay in your garden for long. A garden with a variety of flowers will invite lady birds to stay awhile!

The Lost Lady Bug Project is a community science effort to track the various species of lady bird beetles. To participate in this project and upload photos of the beetles you encounter, visit their site! In the meantime, you will reward yourself by learning more about the other 79+ species of lady beetles in Colorado!

Common name: Convergent Lady Beetle
Scientific name: Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville
Catalog number: UCMC 0158263
Label data: USA: Delta County, Colorado; July 2, 1938; R. Bauer

1. Cranshaw, W. S. (2014, July). Lady Beetles. Colorado State University Extension, Fact Sheet Number 5.594. Accessed: January 5, 2021.
2. Aristizábal, Luis F.; Arthurs, Steven P.; Oldenettel, Jerry. (2014, May; Reviewed February 2018) Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida. Featured Creatures: Convergent Lady Beetle. Publication Number: EENY-592. Accessed: January 5, 2021.

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There are 80 species of lady bird beetles in Colorado, and the Hippodamia convergens or Lady Beetle (like this species found in Delta County), is the most frequently observed across North America.

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