Golden Tortoise Beetle (Charidotella sexpunctata): Scientific Classification, Habit and Habitat, Identifying Characters

Golden Tortoise Beetle (Charidotella sexpunctata): Scientific Classification, Habit and Habitat, Identifying Characters

Scientific Classification

Kingdom:       Animalia

Phylum:          Arthropoda

Class:             Insecta

Order:             Coleoptera

Suborder:      Polyphaga

Family:           Chrysomelidae

Subfamily:     Cassidinae

Tribe:              Cassidini

Genus:           Charidotella

Species:           sexpunctata

Habit and Habitat:

•         Commonly seen under the leaves of host plants.
•         Under sunshine, they appear to shine with the metallic golden color.

    Food Habit: Feed only on a specific family of plants, the Convolvulaceae which include Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), Morning glory (Ipomoea spp.), Bindweed (convolvulus spp.)

Identifying Characters:

Adults:

1. Size: 10-30mm long and 9-13mm wide.
2. Margins of prothorax and elytra are expanded, largely concealing the head and appendages.
3. The expanded margins are not pigmented, appearing nearly transparent.
4. The body is metallic golden in color but sometimes may appear bronzed or even reddish. The golden color is lost when the insect dies.

Eggs:

1. The eggs are attached singly to the underside of leaves or stems, and are white in color.
2. The eggs are elongated measuring 1.5- 2mm long and hatch in five to 10 days.

Larvae:

1. Larvae are broad and flattened and adorned with branched spines.
2. Their thoracic legs are short and thick and lack an anal proleg.
3. The larvae display the habit of carrying their cast skins and fecal material attached to spines arising from the posterior end of their body, a structure called anal fork.
4. Anal fork is movable, and usually used to hold the debris over the back of the body, forming a shield which deters predation.
5. Larvae mature in 14-21 days.

Pupae:

1. The mature larvae attach themselves to leaves by their anal end and pupate.
2. Pupa are brownish in color and bear spines.
3. The fecal material and other debris carried by the larval stage may also remain attached to the pupa.
4. The pupae measure 5-8 mm in length. The duration of the pupal stage is usually 7-14 days.

References:

• http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/potato/golden_tortoise_beetle.htm
• https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/sweetpotato/key/Sweetpotato%20Diagnotes/Media/Html/TheProblems/Pest LeafChewingInsects/TortoiseBeetles/tortoise%20beetles.htm