| Cassida viridis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Chrysomelidae |
| Genus: | Cassida |
| Species: | C. viridis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cassida viridis | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Cassida viridis, common name green tortoise beetle, is a species of beetle in the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae).
Cassida viridis can reach a length of 8.5–10 millimetres (0.33–0.39 in). The body is unusually flat and oval-shaped. Thorax and elytra are green, without the markings characterizing other Cassida species. Punctuation on the elytra is entirely uniform. Both the legs and the rather short, threadlike antennae are brown. The underside is black. These extremely mimetic beetles can be encountered from April to October.
Usually they stay on their food plants, which mainly include various mints ( Mentha aquatica , Mentha arvensis , Mentha longifolia , Mentha rotundifolia , Mentha suaveolens , Mentha verticillata ), but also other plants of family Lamiaceae ( Galeopsis grandiflora , Galeopsis speciosa , Galeopsis tetrahit , Galeopsis pubescens , Melissa officinalis , Salvia glutinosa , Salvia officinalis , Salvia pratensis , Stachys palustris , Stachys recta and Stachys sylvatica ).
The larvae are very spiny. For protection against enemies and parasites, they usually bear their excrements on two spines on the upper side.
This species can be found in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, in the Near East, and in North Africa. It has recently been discovered to have been introduced into southern Ontario, Canada, as early as 1974. [1]
They mainly inhabit low vegetation in open areas, such as meadows or shores.
The insects of the beetle family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles, and include over 37,000 species in more than 2,500 genera, making up one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families. Numerous subfamilies are recognized, but the precise taxonomy and systematics are likely to change with ongoing research.
The tansy beetle is a species of leaf beetle. It measures 7.7–10.5 mm in length and has a characteristic bright metallic green colouration. The common name derives from the tansy plant on which they often feed as both larvae and adults. In addition to the nominotypical subspecies, which repeats the specific name, C. graminis graminis, there are five further distinct subspecies of tansy beetle, which, collectively, have a Palearctic distribution, although in the majority of countries where it is found the species is declining. In the United Kingdom it is designated as 'Nationally Rare' and this localised population, centred on York, North Yorkshire, has been the subject of much recent research.
The Eumolpinae are a subfamily of the leaf beetles, or Chrysomelidae. It is one of the largest subfamilies of leaf beetles, including more than 500 genera and 7000 species. They are oval, and convex in form, and measure up to 10 mm in size. Typical coloration for this subfamily of beetles ranges from bright yellow to dark red. Many species are iridescent or brilliantly metallic blue or green in appearance.
Chrysolina americana, common name rosemary beetle, is a species of beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae.
Cassida is a large Old World genus of tortoise beetles in the subfamily Cassidinae. Several species of Cassida are important agricultural pests, in particular C. vittata and C. nebulosa on sugar beet and spinach. The thistle tortoise beetle has been used as a biological control agent against Canada thistle.
The thistle tortoise beetle is a species of leaf beetle, situated in the subfamily Cassidinae and the genus Cassida.
Galeopsis bifida is an annual plant native to Europe and Asia but now found in Canada and the northeastern, midwestern parts of the United States. It has many common names such as bifid hemp-nettle, split-lip hemp-nettle, common hemp-nettle, and large-flowered hemp-nettle. The genus name means weasel-like, referring to the corolla of the flower. It is often confused with other species of Lamiaceae such as Mentha arvensis, Dracocephalum parviflorum and Stachys pilosa.
Arima marginata is a species of leaf beetles of the subfamily Galerucinae in the family Chrysomelidae.
Chrysolina grossa, the red leaf beetle, is a species of broad-shouldered leaf beetles belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Chrysomelinae.
Lilioceris merdigera is a species of beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Criocerinae.
Acromis spinifex is a species of tortoise beetle from South America. The males have enlarged elytra which are probably used in male–male combat, while females are among the few tortoise beetles to show maternal care of their offspring.
Leptinotarsa haldemani is a glossy green beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is commonly known as Haldeman's green potato beetle. It was named in honour of Samuel Stehman Haldeman, a 19th-century American entomologist who collected insect specimens in Texas.
Coleophora albitarsella is a moth of the family Coleophoridae. It is found in most of Europe, but has not been recorded from Ireland and Greece.
Cryptocephalus virens is a cylindrical leaf beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Cryptocephalinae. The species was first described by Christian Wilhelm Ludwig Eduard Suffrian in 1847.
Ophraella communa, common name ragweed leaf beetle, is a species of beetles belonging to the family Chrysomelidae.
Chrysolina coerulans, also known as the blue mint beetle or blue mint leaf beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is in the subgenus of Synerga. It is native to a wide range of countries between mid and eastern Europe and lives alongside rivers and in meadows, it feeds on various plant members of the mint family.
Sphaeroderma testaceum, the artichoke beetle, is a species of flea beetles in the family Chrysomelidae.
Cassida obtusata, is a species of leaf beetle widespread in Oriental region from Sri Lanka to China towards Sumatra and the Philippines.
Epistictina reicheana, is a species of leaf beetle found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Tasmania.
Notosacantha vicaria is a species of leaf beetle native to India, and Sri Lanka.