Cassida murraea

Size
6.5-9.0mm
Basic colour
Green or reddish-orange (green in less mature specimens)
Pattern colour
Small black spots, especially near the elytral suture.
Leg colour
Black - may be tinged with other colours.

Cassida murraea

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Cassida
  • Cassida murraea
Common name
Fleabane Tortoise Beetle

Description

Size: 6.5-9.0mm
Basic colour: Green or reddish-orange (green in less mature specimens)
Pattern colour: Small black spots, especially near the elytral suture.
Number of spots: Variable
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: Black - may be tinged with other colours.

Biology

Status: Reasonable widespread in the south and west of England and Wales.
Habitat: Various damp habitats.
Host plant: Common Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica) and Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre)
Overwintering: Unknown
Food: Adults feed on leaves of host plants (creating holes); larvae feed on the underside of leaves.
Other notes: Underside black. Dorsal colour changes from green to reddish-orange at sexual maturity. Elytra sometimes almost completely black, or without spots.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)

Distribution Map

Cassida hemisphaerica

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Cassida
  • Cassida hemisphaerica

Description

Size: 4.3-5.4mm
Basic colour: Green or yellowish-green, usually appearing a pale metallic golden green when alive.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: Sometimes one on the pronotum
Pronotoum: Sometimes with a central dark spot.
Leg colour: As basic colour

A small, convex, shiny tortoise beetle, almost completely circular looking from above.

Biology

Status: Scarce (Notable A) - very scattered.
Habitat: Various, possibly favouring dry, sunn,y open situations.
Host plant: Various, usually members of the Caryophyllaceae (e.g. campions); also collected from oaks.
Overwintering: Unknown
Food: Leaves of host Caryophyllaceae; sometimes also flowers and epidermis of stems.
Other notes: Abdomen either entirely yellow, or black with yellow margins.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)

Distribution Map

Cassida flaveola

Size
4-6mm
Basic colour
Brownish-yellow to pale yellow with a faint metallic gold tinge when alive.
Pattern colour
Usually none (see below)
Leg colour
Variably darkened, but at least partly (and may be entirely) pale.

Cassida flaveola

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Cassida
  • Cassida flaveola
Common name
Pale Tortoise Beetle

Description

Size: 4-6mm
Basic colour: Brownish-yellow to pale yellow with a faint metallic gold tinge when alive.
Pattern colour: Usually none (see below)
Number of spots: Usually none (see below)
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: Variably darkened, but at least partly (and may be entirely) pale.

Biology

Status: Widespread and locally common.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Various, usually members of the Caryophyllaceae (e.g. stitchworts and sandworts)
Overwintering: Adults hibernate in grass tussocks, grass litter and the bottoms of hedgerows.
Food: Host plants.
Other notes: Elytral disc sometimes blackish-brown with pale spots.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)

Distribution Map

Cassida denticollis

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Cassida
  • Cassida denticollis

Description

Size: 5.1-7.0mm
Basic colour: Green
Pattern colour: Brownish-red around the scutellum. Central epimere black.
Number of spots: None
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: Green
Leg colour: Yellowish
Confusion species: Cassida prasina
, Confusion species: Cassida sanguinosa

Biology

Status: Endangered (RDB1), very scattered (S. England, SW Scotland, possibly S. Wales)
Habitat: Roadside verges, water meadows, and by rivers.
Host plant: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Overwintering: Unknown location, but adults do overwinter.
Food: Yarrow
Other notes: Similar to C. prasina and C. sanguinosa. Narrow deep dent at the front of the labrum. Near each hind angle of the pronotum, the rear edge bears a definite tooth, and the edge between these teeth is clearly black. The front edges of the elytra between the scutellum and shoulders is also black with a series of strong blunt teeth. There may be faint to medium brown darkening along the front edge of the elytra and around the scutellum, sometimes extending along the elytral suture.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)

Distribution Map

Pilemostoma fastuosa

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Pilemostoma
  • Pilemostoma fastuosa

Description

Size: 4.5-6.5mm
Basic colour: Red and black
Pattern colour: Elytra red with irregular black stripes.
Number of spots: See notes below.
Spot fusions: Common
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: Red with black spots and upturned sides.
Leg colour: Black

An unmistakable black and red 'tortoise beetle'.

Biology

Status: Scarce (Notable A), mainly in S. England.
Habitat: Various, usually on calcareous soils, especially in open or lightly shaded locations.
Host plant: Various Asteraceae, especially Ploughman's-spikenard (Inula conyzae) and Common Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica), sometimes ragwort and mints.
Overwintering: Adults hibernate in moss in woodland.
Food: Leaves of Ploughman's-spikenard; adults produce variably sized holes, larvae feed on the underside.
Other notes: Elytra sometimes black with a few red spots, or red with a few black spots. Newly emerged individuals are sometimes greenish instead of red.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)

Distribution Map