Mottled tortoise beetle of the leaf beetle family is indigenous to North America, South America, Central America, and parts of the Caribbean Islands. They have a colorful mottled pattern closely resembling a tortoise hence the name.
Size: 5 – 7 mm (0.19 – 0.27 inches)
Color and Appearance: They have a mottled pattern, with the prominent colorations being green, orange, and yellow.
Other Characteristic Features: These beetles have an oval, translucent body.
The larva appears flat with spiny projections all over its body, replicating tiny centipedes. It chooses its hiding place amongst beetle feces where they also pupate.
The pupa has a close similarity with the adult moths in appearance.
The females lay about 10 – 15 eggs in a go in clusters in the leaves’ undercol3s.
| Adult lifespan | About 2 – 3 months |
| Duration of larval stage | 30 – 45 days |
| Distribution | North America, South America, Central America, Caribbean |
| Habitat | Meadow, yard, lawn, garden, field |
| Common Predators | Assassin bugs, ladybugs, wasps |
| Seasons active from | May – October |
| Host Plants | Plants of morning glory family |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Leaves of their host plants |
These beetles, particularly the larva, make holes in the leaves, but the damage caused by them is minimum. The plants do not get destroyed unless they are too young.
Image Source: lh3.googleusercontent.com, inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com, lh5.ggpht.com, i.pinimg.com
Mottled tortoise beetle of the leaf beetle family is indigenous to North America, South America, Central America, and parts of the Caribbean Islands. They have a colorful mottled pattern closely resembling a tortoise hence the name.
Size: 5 – 7 mm (0.19 – 0.27 inches)
Color and Appearance: They have a mottled pattern, with the prominent colorations being green, orange, and yellow.
Other Characteristic Features: These beetles have an oval, translucent body.
The larva appears flat with spiny projections all over its body, replicating tiny centipedes. It chooses its hiding place amongst beetle feces where they also pupate.
The pupa has a close similarity with the adult moths in appearance.
The females lay about 10 – 15 eggs in a go in clusters in the leaves’ undercol3s.
| Adult lifespan | About 2 – 3 months |
| Duration of larval stage | 30 – 45 days |
| Distribution | North America, South America, Central America, Caribbean |
| Habitat | Meadow, yard, lawn, garden, field |
| Common Predators | Assassin bugs, ladybugs, wasps |
| Seasons active from | May – October |
| Host Plants | Plants of morning glory family |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Leaves of their host plants |
These beetles, particularly the larva, make holes in the leaves, but the damage caused by them is minimum. The plants do not get destroyed unless they are too young.
Image Source: lh3.googleusercontent.com, inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com, lh5.ggpht.com, i.pinimg.com
