Tortoise Beetles
Tortoise beetles are small beetles that resemble miniature turtles. They are rarely found in high numbers in home gardens, so their feeding is primarily cosmetic. You’ll find them on plants in the Convolvulaceae family (morning glories, bindweeds, etc.) as well as the Solanaceae family (potatoes, jimsonweed, groundcherries, tomatoes, beans and peppers). The larvae of these beetles use their own frass and debris as a way of protecting and disguising themselves against potential predators (see an example in the second photo below), and they can even raise the entire mass up and onto themselves from a special structure at the tip of their abdomen (first photo below shows the pile of frass in the ‘lowered’ or flipped-down position).
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- Tortoise Beetle (larva); Photo by G. Dill, staff
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- Tortoise Beetle (larva with pile of frass for protection and disguise); Photo by G. Dill, staff
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- Pair of mating Clavate Tortoise beetles on a potato leaf (Etna, ME; 7/16/2022)
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- Clavate Tortoise beetle on a potato leaf (Etna, ME; 7/15/2022)
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- Golden Tortoise Beetle (Charidotella sexpunctata) (Penobscot County, ME; 6/30/2023) (feeds on the leaves of various Convolvulaceae plants)
Additional Information:
- Tortoise Beetles (University of New Hampshire)
- Clavate Tortoise Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Golden Tortoise Beetle (BugGuide.net)