Cassida sanguinosa

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Cassida
  • Cassida sanguinosa

Description

Size: 5.9-8.0mm
Basic colour: Green
Pattern colour: Pale blood-red around scutellum (this is rarely absent)
Number of spots: None
Other colour forms: Rare
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Cassida denticollis
, Confusion species: Cassida prasina

Biology

Status: Very scattered - in the south only. Appears rare, but not given scarce or rare status and may be increasing its range with most records being from 1980 onwards.
Habitat: Various, usually near water; also on farmland.
Host plant: Various Asteraceae, including tansy, sneezewort and mayweeds.
Overwintering: Unknown
Food: Leaves of host plants.
Other notes: Usually larger than the similar C. prasina. Central epimere black or green. Broad shallow dent at the front of the labrum. The pronotal tooth seen in C. denticollis may be present, but not with teeth on the front edges of the elytra.

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Cassida rubiginosa

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Cassida
  • Cassida rubiginosa
Common name
Thistle Tortoise Beetle

Description

Size: 6-8mm
Basic colour: Green or yellowish-green.
Pattern colour: Elytra sometimes with a small dark triangular spot around the scutellum, also usually a small dark spot near the suture.
Number of spots: See 'pattern colour'.
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Cassida vibex

Biology

Status: Common and widespread.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Various Asteraceae, including thistles and many others.
Overwintering: Adults hibernate in tussocks and moss.
Food: Leaves of host plants - adults usually on the underside, larvae usually on the upper side; adults may also feed on pollen of buttercups and ox-eye daisies.
Other notes: Almost circular looking from above.

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Cassida prasina

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Cassida
  • Cassida prasina

Description

Size: 5.2-6.5mm
Basic colour: Green or greenish-yellow
Pattern colour: Reddish spots (may be faint) at the front of the elytra.
Number of spots: 1 or 2
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Cassida denticollis
, Confusion species: Cassida sanguinosa

Biology

Status: Scarce (Notable B); widely scattered.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Sneezewort (A. ptarmica), and possibly Sea Campion (Silene uniflora)
Overwintering: Adults hibernate in moss.
Food: Leaves of host plants.
Other notes: Central epimere yellow, or black with an oblique yellow spot.

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Cassida nobilis

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Cassida
  • Cassida nobilis

Description

Size: 4.3-6.0mm
Basic colour: Yellow or pale green, sometimes yellow-brownish
Pattern colour: See notes below.
Number of spots: See notes below.
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour, with basal half of femora black.
Confusion species: Cassida vittata

Biology

Status: Scarce (Notable B); widely scattered.
Habitat: Various, often on sandy or chalky soil.
Host plant: Various; usually Fat-hen (Chenopodium album), Glassworts (Salicornia), Oraches (Atriplex) and Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis), though other species are possible.
Overwintering: Adults hibernate in moss.
Food: Leaves of host plants.
Other notes: Similar to C. vittata. When alive, sometimes has a longitudinal rose-red or metallic gold stripe covering the top of the elytra, or with a blackish suture and some darker spots. Elytra sometimes marked with a crimson horseshoe shape. Rear angles of the pronotum broadly rounded. Front of head and tips of antennae black.

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Cassida nebulosa

Size
5.5-7.7mm
Basic colour
Rusty-red, brownish or green
Pattern colour
Numerous small black spots, sometimes merging to form irregular longitudinal bands.
Spot fusions
Very common
Leg colour
As basic colour

Cassida nebulosa

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Cassida
  • Cassida nebulosa

Description

Size: 5.5-7.7mm
Basic colour: Rusty-red, brownish or green
Pattern colour: Numerous small black spots, sometimes merging to form irregular longitudinal bands.
Number of spots: Numerous, variable.
Spot fusions: Very common
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour

Biology

Status: Threat status Indeterminate (RDB I); scattered, mainly in southern and eastern England.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Various Chenopodiaceae including goosefoots, oraches and beet. Also on knotgrasses.
Overwintering: Unknown
Food: Leaves of host plants; adults eat holes in them, larvae feed on the underside.
Other notes: Underside black, abdomen with a yellow edge. The splayed elytral margins are wider towards the front.

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