Clavate tortoise beetle belongs to the subfamily of tortoise and leaf-mining beetles (Cassidinae) of the leaf beetle family. They are found in major parts of North America and live up to their name since these beetles replicate a tortoise’s shape.
Size: 6.5 – 7.5 mm (0.25 – 0.29 inches)
Color: It looks golden, brown, or brassy green when alive. However, after death, it attains a yellowish-brown or tan coloration with dark markings.
Other Characteristic Features: They have an oval and convex body that appears like a dome, with a cone-shaped peak towards the center. Their pronotum (plate-like feature covering the thorax fully or partially) and elytra are large, covering the entire body like a shield. Some of their other features include a translucent carapace and long, narrow antennae.
It has a green body, with a flattened and fringed appearance. Its specialty lies in the fecal fork in the last segment of its abdomen. Though the shield does not hide the larva from its enemy, it acts as a defense mechanism, protecting itself against predators.
Information about the pupa is undocumented. However, the pupal phase begins after the 5th or 6th instar stage of the larva ends.
The eggs hatch a couple of days later from when they are laid on the host plants.
| Lifespan | 3- 4 weeks approximately, like most other tortoise beetle species though the exact period is not recorded |
| Distribution | Arizona, Louisiana, Kansas, Texas, Tennessee, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Mexico |
| Habitat | Agricultural farms, and urban gardens, alongcol3 meadows, forests, grasslands, and every other place where its host plant grows |
| Common Predators | Ant, beetles, spiders (particularly in their larval stage) |
| Seasons active from | Throughout summer |
| Host Plants | Plants of the Solanaceae family (Solanum dulcamara, Solanum carolinense, Solanum tuberosum, Solanum pseudogracile |
| Diet of larva and adult | Mostly the leaves of their host plants |
Though they consume leaves of individual plants, no records of extensive damage have been obtained yet.
Image Source: objects.liquidweb.services, objects.liquidweb.services, a4.pbase.com, bugguide.net, lh3.googleusercontent.com, deviantart.com
Clavate tortoise beetle belongs to the subfamily of tortoise and leaf-mining beetles (Cassidinae) of the leaf beetle family. They are found in major parts of North America and live up to their name since these beetles replicate a tortoise’s shape.
Size: 6.5 – 7.5 mm (0.25 – 0.29 inches)
Color: It looks golden, brown, or brassy green when alive. However, after death, it attains a yellowish-brown or tan coloration with dark markings.
Other Characteristic Features: They have an oval and convex body that appears like a dome, with a cone-shaped peak towards the center. Their pronotum (plate-like feature covering the thorax fully or partially) and elytra are large, covering the entire body like a shield. Some of their other features include a translucent carapace and long, narrow antennae.
It has a green body, with a flattened and fringed appearance. Its specialty lies in the fecal fork in the last segment of its abdomen. Though the shield does not hide the larva from its enemy, it acts as a defense mechanism, protecting itself against predators.
Information about the pupa is undocumented. However, the pupal phase begins after the 5th or 6th instar stage of the larva ends.
The eggs hatch a couple of days later from when they are laid on the host plants.
| Lifespan | 3- 4 weeks approximately, like most other tortoise beetle species though the exact period is not recorded |
| Distribution | Arizona, Louisiana, Kansas, Texas, Tennessee, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Mexico |
| Habitat | Agricultural farms, and urban gardens, alongcol3 meadows, forests, grasslands, and every other place where its host plant grows |
| Common Predators | Ant, beetles, spiders (particularly in their larval stage) |
| Seasons active from | Throughout summer |
| Host Plants | Plants of the Solanaceae family (Solanum dulcamara, Solanum carolinense, Solanum tuberosum, Solanum pseudogracile |
| Diet of larva and adult | Mostly the leaves of their host plants |
Though they consume leaves of individual plants, no records of extensive damage have been obtained yet.
Image Source: objects.liquidweb.services, objects.liquidweb.services, a4.pbase.com, bugguide.net, lh3.googleusercontent.com, deviantart.com
