I found this Green Turtle Beetle in the leaves of kale plants that grew in my yard.
Green Tortoise Beetle has damaged the leaves of kale in the yard very badly.
Introduction
This beetle is called Tortoise beetle because its shape resembles a turtle.
Green Tortoise Beetle is also called Cassida circumdata.
This beetle comes from the Chrysomelidae family and the genus Cassida.
The species name is Cassida circumdata. (source)
The beetle is green, black and has a transparent cuticle.
The size is very small about 4 - 5 mm.
Taxonomy :
Kingdom : Animalia (Animals)
Phylum : Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class : Insecta (Insects)
Order : Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder : Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
Superfamily : Chrysomeloidea (Long-horned and Leaf Beetles)
Family : Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles)
Subfamily : Cassidinae (Tortoise Beetles and the Hispines)
Tribe : Cassidini (Tortoise Beetles)
Genus : Cassida
Species : Cassida circumdata (Herbst, 1799)
Source :
https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=721355#null
The turtle beetle is considered by many to be a plant pest.
How this beetle breeds
The beetle breeds throughout the year, especially on plant leaves such as spinach, kale and sweet potatoes. Usually when the rainy season arrives.
This beetle has a life cycle of about 40 days.
This beetle breeds with a thorny larva. Adult beetle with elytra oval-shaped dome.
The mated female lays around 250 eggs in 2 to 5 days after emergence. The eggs are laid singly on either surface of the leaf and covered with the translucent golden brown parchment-like membrane. Hatching of eggs occurs in 4 to 7 days. The insect undergoes 5 larval instars, each instar lasts 1 to 6 days. After each moult, the exuvium (cast skin) becomes attached to the spines and each succeeding exuvium is distinct and attached to the preceding one. These cast skins are carried by the larvae when feeding or at rest. When the larva is disturbed, it is placed over the body and is used as protective shield. The length of the accumulated exuvia becomes longer as the larva matures. The total larval development ranges from 7-26 days. The pupa becomes firmly attached with silken threads by its caudal end to either surface of the leaf. The pupal period is 4-8 days. The total life cycle ranges from 15-41 days. Longevity of adults lasts 2-29 days. The male to female ratio of adults is 1:0:1.1. :
Source
Photo collection Green Tortoise Beetle
Image by @askari (my own work)
Taken with : Smartphone Oppo R7Sf + macro lens
THANK YOU
