Green Tortoise Beetle - Cassida compuncta
FAMILY CHRYSOMELIDAE
This page contains information and pictures about Green Tortoise Beetles that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 4mm
- The beetles are broadly ovate shaped with wing-covers and prothorax broadly extended. The prothorax cover the head from above. They have the green body. On wing covers there are the gold patterns on brownish-purple background colour. The gold patterns are vary between individuals.
- The beetles were mating on grass. They were found on different plants.
- Pictures were taken in Wishart Bushland during mid summer 2008.
- They were actively moving on plants, seems not the active flier.
- We miss-identified this species as Cassida sexguttata, Chris Reid send us emails advised that this should be the Cassida compuncta – feeds on Ipomoea cairica (Mile-a-minute, a common weed in forest edge and cleared area) etc.
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- Thank to Chris Reid for the identification of this leaf beetle.
- Reference:
- 1. Beetles of Australia - Trevor J Hawkeswood, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1987, plate 158.
- 2. Cassida sexguttata Boisduval, 1835 - Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australia 2005.
- 3. Cassida compuncta (Boheman, 1855) - Cassidinae of the world - an interactive manual. 2008.
- 4. Wild Plants of Greater Brisbane - Queensland Museum, 2003, p341.
