Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Coleoptera (Beetles) ➔ Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf beetles)
Cassida (Odontionycha) viridis Linnaeus, 1758
Grüner Schildkäfer Green Tortoise Beetle
Classification:
Cassida viridis belongs to the subfamily Cassidinae, tribe Cassidini.Distribution:
Palearctic (Europe, Asia, North Africa), introduced in North America.Habitat:
Wet tall forb communities, wet forests, ruderal areas.Description:
Length 8.5 - 10.0 mm; upper surface dull green, in life with narrow silver hem at the base of the elytra, mostly yellow in death; elytra randomly punctured, without longitudinal ridges; lateral margin of the elytra not separated by a row of coarse dots; pronotum distinctly narrower than the elytra, rounded at the sides.Biology:
The Green Tortoise Beetle Cassida viridis is an oligophagous species that lives on various plants of the mint family (Lamiaceae), especially on mint (Mentha), hempnettle (Galeopsis), hedgenettle (Stachys) and bugleweed (Lycopus), more rarely on sage (Salvia), catnip (Nepeta) and balm (Melissa).The species is univoltine in Central Europe and hibernates as adult. The imagines are active again from the end of April or beginning of May. They can be found on the upper leaf surface feeding holes into the leaves. The eggs are laid in small clusters on the underside of the leaves of young plants and covered with a rapidly hardening secretion. After about one month, the young larvae hatch and begin with feeding on the underside of the leaves. From the 3rd stage they feed holes into the leaves. The larvae carry a feces shield from thin excrement threads. They pupate on a leaf. After a pupal period of 6 to 15 days the new generation of Cassida viridis hatches. After a maturation feeding period in autumn, the adult beetles hibernate.
Natural enemies:
The tachinid flies Dufouria chalybeata (Meigen, 1824) and Gymnosoma rotundatum (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Tachinidae).Some parasitic wasp species of the families Eulophidae, Chalcididae, Tetracampidae, Trichogrammatidae and Ichneumonidae.
References, further reading, links:
- Rheinheimer, Joachim, & Hassler, Michael: Die Blattkäfer Baden-Württembergs, 2018, 928 pages, Kleinsteuber Books (Karlsruhe), ISBN 978-3-9818110-2-5
- Arved Lompe: Die Käfer Europas - Ein Bestimmungswerk im Internet
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