Tortoise Beetle

This Tortoise beetle has beautiful iridescent green and black patterns, which show through the transparent elytra. For years, I couldn't understand exactly what was going on when I saw this kind of beetle open its elytra and wings, to take to the air, in flight. I had been assuming (wrongly) that these beautiful colours were on the wings, but each time that I saw one taking off and flying away, I could not see the colours on the wings. Project Noah Ranger, "Tukup" explained how it works. The colours are on the inside of the otherwise clear elytra and not on the wings. The wings are actually hidden by the coloured underside of the elytra. It is very simple.....once you know it. :-)