Shield beetle

Shield beetle
Tansy tortoise beetle ( Cassida stigmatica )
Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta) Order : Beetle (Coleoptera) Subordination : Polyphaga Superfamily : Chrysomeloidea Family : Leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) Subfamily : Shield beetle
Scientific name
Cassidinae
Stephens , 1831

Tortoise beetle larva ( Cassida viridis ) shortly after molting. The fork is still partly in the old case.

Underside of a shield beetle

The tortoise beetles (Cassidinae) are a subfamily of the leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae). They occur in Central Europe with 3 genera and 30 species .

features

In Central Europe, the beetles are 6 to 10 millimeters long. Their physique is very atypical for leaf beetles. They are strongly flattened and slightly oval. The pronotum , under which the head is hidden, and the wing covers are widened. The tarsal links of the feet have particularly large adhesive pads with which they can suck on the ground. In this way they protect themselves from enemies, especially ants , which cannot attack the flat beetles that are firmly attached to the ground. Some identifying features can be found on the underside of the body.

Way of life

Both the beetles and the larvae are herbivores (phytophag). They feed on the leaves of their host plant. Our species are mainly found on thistles . They are very well camouflaged by their own excrement, which they can pile over themselves with a special fork on their abdomen, and numerous bristle-like structures. This fork is a typical feature of the larvae.

Systematics

The tribe Hispini (formerly subfamily Hispinae) has recently been added to the subfamily of the tortoise beetles . The subfamily of the tortoise beetles is represented in Europe with 60 species and subspecies in five genera.

Species in Europe

Tribe Cassidini

• Cassida algirica
• Cassida alpina
• Cassida angustifrons
• Cassida atrata
• Cassida aurora
• Cassida azurea
• Cassida bella
• Cassida bergeali
• Cassida berolinensis
• Cassida brevis
• Cassida canaliculata
• Cassida circassica
• Cassida corallina
• Cassida deflorata
• Cassida denticollis
• Cassida elongata
• Cassida fausti
• Red-rimmed flat beetle ( Cassida ferruginea )
• Cassida flaveola
• Cassida hablitziae
• Cassida hemisphaerica
• Cassida hexastigma
• Cassida humeralis
• Cassida hyalina
• Cassida inopinata
• Cassida inquinata
• Cassida leucanthemi
• Cassida lineola
• Cassida major
• Cassida margaritacea
• Cassida murraea
• Fog shield beetle ( Cassida nebulosa )
• Gold-striped tortoise beetle ( Cassida nobilis )
• Cassida olympica
• Cassida ovalis
• Cassida pannonica
• Cassida panzeri
• Cassida parvula
• Cassida prasina
• Cassida pusilla
• Cassida pyrenaea
• Cassida rubiginosa
• Cassida rufovirens
• Cassida sanguinolenta
• Cassida sanguinosa
• Cassida sareptana
• Cassida celadonia
• Cassida seraphina
• Cassida stigmatica
• Cassida subreticulata
• Rusty shield beetle ( Cassida vibex )
• Green tortoise beetle ( Cassida viridis )
• Glossy streaked tortoise beetle ( Cassida vittata )
• Hypocassida cornea
• Hypocassida grossepunctata
• Hypocassida meridionalis
• Hypocassida subferruginea
• Ischyronota desertorum
• Ischyronota spaethi
• Oxylepus deflexicollis
• Pilemostoma fastuosum

Hispini tribe

• Brown sting beetle ( Dicladispa testacea )
• Black sting beetle ( Hispa atra )
• Leptispa filiformis
• Polyconia caroli

credentials

1. ↑ Cassidinae. Fauna Europaea, Version 1.3, April 19, 2007 , accessed June 20, 2007 . 

literature

• Jiři Zahradnik, Irmgard Jung, Dieter Jung et al .: Beetles of Central and Northwestern Europe. Parey, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-490-27118-1 .

Web links

Commons : Tortoise beetles (Cassidinae)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files