Golden Tortoise Beetle — printable fact sheet
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Golden Tortoise Beetle
Charidotella sexpunctata
Charidotella sexpunctata is a small North American leaf beetle that looks like a drop of liquid gold pressed onto a bindweed leaf, and its metal shine is not pigment at all. The elytra are transparent, and beneath them lie layers of tissue holding minute fluid-filled channels; w…
Did you know?
- The golden color of this beetle fades to dull brown or red when it is handled or dies, due to changes in fluid beneath its transparent cuticle.
- The colour change is hydraulic, not pigmentary, so a dead golden tortoise beetle can never be preserved gold - collectors have to photograph them alive. The larval fecal shield is not a passive lid but is aimed: larvae swing it directly at an approaching ant's face. Adults are strong homebodies on morning glory and sweet potato vines, and a heavy infestation leaves the leaves peppered with clean round holes.
What I learned
Draw the golden tortoise beetle
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