Tetraopes tetrophthalmus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Tetraopes tetrophthalmus, the red milkweed beetle, is a beetle in the family Cerambycidae. The binomial genus and species names are both derived from the Ancient Greek 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.
The milkweed beetle, an herbivore, is given this name because it is host-specific to common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). It has been reported on horsetail milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) in a disturbed site in Illinois.
Adults feed on the foliage and flowers of the plant, and the larvae feed on the roots. Therefore, much like the monarch butterfly, it is thought that the beetles derive some protection from predators by incorporating toxins from the plant into their bodies, thereby becoming distasteful. The red and black coloring are aposematic, advertising the beetles' inedibility.
These beetles feed by opening veins in the milkweed plant, decreasing the beetles' exposure to latex-like sap. When startled, the beetles make a shrill... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Milkweed Beetle sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 276th most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Milkweed Beetle in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red Milkweed Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Red Milkweed Beetle sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Cerambycidae
The closest relatives of the Red Milkweed Beetle that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Cerambycidae, Longhorn Beetles) are Broad-Necked Root Borer (about 20%), Strangalepta Flower Longhorn Beetle (about 10%) and Eastern Elderberry Borer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red Milkweed Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
