Tortoise beetle

Tortoise beetle
Cassida viridis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Chrysomelidae
Subfamily:	Hispinae
Tribes
several; see text

The tortoise beetles are an artificial grouping of tribes within the leaf beetle subfamily Hispinae. In past classifications, they have been variously placed as a family ("Cassidae") or a subfamily (Cassidinae); when it was recognized that this group was not monophyletic, it was split and the resulting tribes were incorporated into the Hispinae. Some of the tribes that are considered "tortoise beetles" in the historic sense are the Cassidini, Dorynotini, Hemisphaerotini, Ischyrosonychini, and Mesomphaliini. Their common name arose from the superficial resemblance some species bear to tortoises, the elytra being analogised with the tortoise's carapace.

Some species are easily mistaken by non-entomologists as ladybugs/ladybirds.

See also

• Acromis spinifex

External links

• Interactive key to the Cassidini
• Chelymorpha cribraria, tortoise beetle on the University of Florida / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Featured Creatures website
• Hemisphaerota cyanea, palmetto tortoise beetle on the University of Florida / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Featured Creatures website
• Media related to Cassidinae at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Cassidinae at Wikispecies

This leaf beetle article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Chrysomelidae Chrysomelidae stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР Sound-on-disc Speak (novel) Look at other dictionaries: Tortoise beetle — Tortoise Tor toise, n. [OE. tortuce, fr. OF. tortis crooked, fr. L. tortus twisted, crooked, contorted, p. p. of torquere, tortum, to wind; cf. F. tortue tortoise, LL. tortuca, tartuca, Pr. tortesa crookedness, tortis crooked. so called in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English tortoise beetle — n. any of various small, often brightly colored or iridescent, turtle shaped beetles (family Chrysomelidae) that feed chiefly on plant leaves …   English World dictionary tortoise beetle — any of several turtle shaped leaf beetles, as Chelymorpha cassidea (argus tortoise beetle or milkweed tortoise beetle), which resembles the ladybird beetle and feeds primarily on bindweed and milkweed. [1705 15] * * * ▪ insect       any member of …   Universalium tortoise beetle — noun 1. : any of numerous small tortoise shaped beetles of the family Chrysomelidae many of whom have a brilliant metallic luster and whose larvae feed upon the leaves of various plants 2. : any of several Australian tenebrionid beetles of… …   Useful english dictionary tortoise beetle — noun Date: circa 1711 any of various chrysomelid beetles (subfamily Cassidinae) with leaf eating larvae …   New Collegiate Dictionary tortoise beetle — tor′toise bee tle n. ent any of several turtle shaped, brightly colored leaf beetles of the subfamily Cassidinae • Etymology: 1705–15 …   From formal English to slang Golden tortoise beetle — Taxobox name = Golden Tortoise Beetle regnum = Animalia phylum = Arthropoda classis = Insecta ordo = Coleoptera subordo = Polyphaga familia = Chrysomelidae subfamilia = Hispinae tribus = Cassidini genus = Charidotella species = C. sexpunctata… …   Wikipedia argus tortoise beetle — noun Etymology: after Argus, mythological being; from its spots : a reddish tortoise beetle (Chelymorpha cassidea) spotted with black * * * argus tortoise beetle noun A black spotted, reddish, tortoise shaped beetle that feeds on plants of the… …   Useful english dictionary argus tortoise beetle. — See under tortoise beetle. * * * …   Universalium milkweed tortoise beetle. — See under tortoise beetle. * * * …   Universalium 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”