Meet The Golden Tortoise Beetle – Treasure With Legs (Video + 5 Pics)

Have you ever seen these little specs of gold with legs? These tiny treasures are called golden tortoise beetles (Charidotella sexpunctata). They look very similar to ladybird beetles and can be found feasting on all types of plants, all over the world. They get their funny name from their peculiar structure, specifically their hardened wing covers which protect its flying wings.

Eggs: The eggs are attached singly to the underside of leaves or on stems, and are white in color. The eggs are oval and flattened. They measure only about 1 mm in length and hatch in five to 10 days. Eggs are deposited in clusters of about 20 eggs. Larvae: Larvae are broad and flattened and adorned with branched spines. Their thoracic legs are short and thick, and unlike many chrysomelids they lack an anal proleg. The color of the larva is yellowish to reddish-brown. There are three larval instars. The larvae display the habit of carrying their cast skins and fecal material attached to spines arising from the posterior end of their body, a structure called an "anal fork." The anal fork is movable, and is usually used to hold the debris over the back of the body, forming a "shield" which deters predation. Larvae mature in 14 to 21 days. Here is a video on YouTube from the Terra Explorer Project of a larva creating a fecal shield.