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Tortoise Beetle
Laccoptera tredecimpunctata
15.4561, 119.92
Field Notes
Description:
Chrysomelidae; Cassidinae; Aspidimorphini; Laccoptera tredecimpunctata (Fabricius, 1801). "The Cassidinae (tortoise and leaf-mining beetles) are a subfamily of the leaf beetles, or Chrysomelidae. The antennae arise close to each other and some members have the pronotal and elytral edges extended to the side and covering the legs so as to give them the common name of tortoise beetles. Some members, such as in the tribe Hispini, are notable for the spiny outgrowths to the pronotum and elytra." Wikipedia.
Habitat:
Spotted on Taro (Colocasia esculenta) at the side of the rice mill. This is a patch of ground which has been used for growing Taro for many years. The plants are well established and healthy, but because their leaves are large and give plenty of shade, not many grasses or small plants thrive there.
Notes:
Plant identification - http://www.stuartxchange.org/Gabi.html
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