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tortoise beetle
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Close-up of an imperial tortoise beetle (Stolas imperialis) with a shiny blue and gold patterned shell, resting on a green leaf. A golden tortoise beetle (Charidotella sexpunctata) with a shiny, metallic green shell sits on a bright green leaf. Armored in excrement Tortoise beetle (Cassidinae) Life cycle of the tortoise beetle.
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Close-up of an imperial tortoise beetle (Stolas imperialis) with a shiny blue and gold patterned shell, resting on a green leaf.
Imperial tortoise beetle A lustrous blue and gold shell decorates the imperial tortoise beetle (Stolas imperialis), native to Brazil.

tortoise beetle

insect
Also known as: Cassidinae
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History

Taxonomy See also list of beetles. tortoise beetle, (subfamily Cassidinae), any member of more than 3,000 beetle species that resemble a turtle because of the forward and sideways extensions of the body. Both adults and larvae of some species are destructive to garden plants and sweet potatoes. Tortoise beetles range between 5 and 12 mm (less than 0.5 inch) in length, and the larvae are spiny. Tropical species are among the most brilliantly coloued of...

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