Golden tortoise beetle
 |
This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (September 2008) |
| Golden Tortoise Beetle | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Family: | Chrysomelidae |
| Subfamily: | Hispinae |
| Tribe: | Cassidini |
| Genus: | Charidotella |
| Species: | C. sexpunctata |
| Binomial name | |
| Charidotella sexpunctata (Fabricius, 1781) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Metriona bicolor |
|
Golden tortoise beetles (Charidotella sexpunctata, previously known as Metriona bicolor) are common North American beetles that can be found on morning glory leaves, which are their preferred food. They can change color, looking initially like tiny jewels, or golden ladybugs, but can alter the reflectivity of the cuticle so the outer layers become clear, revealing a ladybug type of red coloring with black spots. This color change is accomplished by microscopic valves controlling the moisture levels under the shell. Various populations of this beetle also have black markings obscuring the underlying colors to various degrees, and it is this variation in appearance that has led to the use of multiple names for this species.
[edit] External links
bugguide.net Has many photos and information about the golden tortoise beetle.
- golden tortoise beetle on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
- [1] WSU.edu link that shows color photographs of the various color stages as well as an in-depth description and discussion concerning the Golden Tortoise Beetle.
 |
This leaf beetle article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
