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The incredible little tortoise beetle, which is from the Chrysomelidae family and the Cassidinae subfamily, is quite interesting to observe. The body of this tiny creature has an oval shape with flattened sides that give it the appearance of a miniature turtle. Tortoise beetles are herbivores, feeding on and spending their entire lives on plants such as bindweed.
For those who are not familiar with the bindweed plant it is a vine type plant with arrow shaped leaves. When bindweed is blooming the flowers are either pink or white with an amazing trumpet shape to their petals. Bindweed is often found in fields that are sunny and moist, where it will quickly take over any surrounding vegetation.
The tiny tortoise beetles are, in some cases, brightly colored with shimmering greens, reds and gold making them very easy to spot. To find this minute creature from the Coleoptera order look for a field that is lush with bindweed. Once you have found the plant check the leaves until you find tiny holes that appear to be chewed away. Close to these holes you will usually discover a minute, flat beetle that is no larger than a half inch in diameter. Move cautiously as you approach since most tortoise beetles are wary of disturbances and will quickly fly away if disturbed.
Close observation of this small beetle will show that the brightly colored shell covering the wings is so all-inclusive that even the head is covered. The tortoise beetles coloration, which is considered the most brilliant of any North American beetle, will shimmer in the sunlight appearing to change as you watch. Interestingly, it is only the outer shell of the wings and upper body that are colored. In some species these beetles will even have spots or stripes on their outer shell which is why some species are often mistaken for ladybugs.
One of the more interesting observations concerning the tortoise beetle is what occurs when they die. As the life of this tiny creature fades, the bright color on the outer shell diminishes as well. Even so, enough of the shimmering iridescence is left behind that these tiny insects are often used to make jewelry. With over 254 species of beetles in the Chrysomelidae family, the tortoise beetle is not only the most brightly colored species, it is also one of the most interesting to observe. Surfacing around the middle of summer this tiny creature riddles the leaves of its food source as it hungrily feeds before mating. In some areas it is even considered a pest because of the destruction it does to various garden plants.
After a rather frenzied feeding the adults will mate. The female tortoise beetle deposits her eggs on the bottoms of the leaves of their chosen plant source either one at a time or, in some species in clutches. Within two weeks the larvae have hatched and begin to immediately feed on the leaves. The larvae stage of this insect is quite fascinating since each of the larvae build a shield to protect themselves from predators. To observe this process, look for tiny dark specks on the bindweed leaf. These will appear to be nothing more than a tiny pile of debris but to the tortoise beetle larvae they represent much more. The shields consist of fecal droppings that are excreted by the larvae and the skins that have been cast off as they molt.
If you gently raise this pile of debris you can observe the tiny larvae. Each larva will collect this debris, using it to cover their bodies while they mature. Closer observation will show two hair-like protrusions at the rear of the larvae. These are used to attach the larvae to a leaf as it sheds its skin, beginning at the head. As the larvae wriggles out of their skin it remains attached to these two tiny prongs and shields the minute creatures body as it continues to feed. Fecal excretions are deposited on the skin forming a kind of protective barrier that is often called a fecal shield.
After around six weeks the larvae are mature and a week of pupation follows before they return as mature adults. New adults will feed until summer is ending. They will then fly to the base of their plant food and hibernate among the debris at the base of the plant until the following summer.
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