Tortoise beetles belong to the subfamily Cassidinae. They are characterised by a broad domed oval shaped elytra, like that of a tortoise shell. The larvae are flattened and spiny, often with a swollen “tail” which is an accumulation of their excrement and shedded exoskeletons.

Most species in this page were identified with the kind assistance of Michael Geiser, Dominik Hofer and Rob Westerduijn on Facebook.

All photos are of live subjects shot in the field, with the dorsal view selected where available. Click on individual photos for larger views and views from other angles. As specimens were not collected, identifications were done purely based on photographs and may not be 100% accurate.

Some useful references:

• Cassidinae of the world – an interactive manual

This page will be updated regularly, please let me know if you spot any mistakes.

View my complete Flickr photo set: Cassidinae – Tortoise Beetles.

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Class: Insecta Linnaeus, 1758

Order: Coleoptera Linnaeus, 1758

Family: Chrysomelidae Latreille, 1802

• beetles