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Tortoise beetle larva
40.0588, -83.7969
Field Notes
Description:
Very small (see last picture for scale). Body is green with barbed projections from the sides. Carries detritus(?) on top of its body.
Habitat:
Fen, feeding on nightshade.
Notes:
At first, I thought it was a slug moth caterpillar, but with further research it seems much more likely to be a tortoise beetle larva, based on the food plant. I've included a link to BugGuide that looks similar to this species, but the closest to an ID I can come for now is tribe Cassidini, the tortoise beetles. Found at Cedar Bog State Nature Preserve.
As a side note, this spotting is a lesson in paying attention to your surroundings. At least a dozen people passed by this insect before I spotted it. I later found five other individuals after looking for more nightshade.
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