Bordered Tortoise Beetle Cassida vittata
This creature is very remarkable indeed. It is able to hide under its enlarged chitineplates completely. In English this group of Leaf Beetles is known as Shield Beetles or Tortoise Beetles. In Western Europe there are over 30 species, many of which really look like one another. This remarkable creature found in our garden turns out to be Cassida vittata. The most common species though is called Cassida viridis. It is entirely green.
The Bordered Tortoise Beetle is sometimes referred to as the Beet Beetle, the Beet Leaf Beetle, the Sugar Beet Beetle or the Beet Tortoise Beetle. These names often refer to one of the foodplants: beet. The species sometimes is a pest in beet plants in warm regions. Especially reported as a pest insect from Egypt.
