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Tortoise Beetle - Bugs and Beetles in Sutton Massachusetts
The Tortoise Beetle is a really confusing creature. When we first saw it we thought it was bird poop or something else. It is very tiny, less than an inch across. It took us a while to realize this was an actual living creature. It is eating up holes in our tomato plant leaves. These are four different "creatures" that we took photos of so it's not just chance that one had black crud stuck to its back. This must be something about the molting process that is common to thise type of beetle.
To be more specific the one we're taking pictures of is a Clavate Tortoise Beetle or Plagiometriona clavata in the Tortoise Beetle tribe of Cassidini. Interestingly, they can fly in this state! I was taking the photos and one flew away!
In this next photo you can see that the slug caterpillar has moved on to a new form, leaving behind its shell.
This cool photo that Bob took shows the black "stuff" on top before it gets crinkly. It almost looks like a frog sitting on top of the beetle! This was taken a week or two before the above photos.
These two were taken in late September, when a tortoise beetle had gotten onto our screen!
Bugs in Sutton Massachusetts
Animals and Birds in Sutton Massachusetts
Sutton Massachusetts Photo Collection
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