Quarter inch diameter wierd bug
July 21, 2009
Hi,
The first time i saw one of these, i just thought it was a strange growth on the leaf. They always seem to be on tomato plants. I was looking closely at this one, and after touching it a few times, it moved. I touched it again and it flew to another plant. I went and got my camera and got this picture. The clear like ring around it is actually the wings, or wing covers, i’m not sure. The antennai are facing down in the picture.
packrat
central Pennsylvania

Clavate Tortoise Beetle

Dear packrat,
This is a Clavate Tortoise Beetle, Plagiometriona clavata.  We also just posted a photo of the larva which is a spiny green creature that never completely sheds its exoskeleton.  The dried remnants of the cast of skin stay attached to the spiny larva.  The Tortoise Beetles are a tribe of the Leaf Beetle family Chrysomelidae.  Beetles are characterized as having two different sets of wings.  The outer wings are usually hardened and are termed the elytra.  The soft flying wings are protected under the elytra and only exposed during flight.  The elytra on the Clavate Tortoise Beetle which forms a carapace does contain clear areas and BugGuide describes the markings as:  “most noticeable feature in adult, covering much of the carapace, is a dark brown irregular patch shaped like a teddy bear, with the front and back “legs” of the “bear” extending to the outer margins of the elytra, and the “head” of the “bear” extending onto the pronotum.”

Little red beetles
July 20, 2009
Hello,
I first noticed these fellows in our garden this June. An asparagus bush seems to be the only place they like to hang around and they’re about the size of lady bugs (seems they’re related too). They gave me the impression it’s completely under their dignity to be touched by humans – as I try to grab one it heroically throws itself of the plant and flies just before reaching the ground.
Could you tell me a few things about these bugs?
Thank you
Sonia
Romania

Twelve-Spotted Asparagus Beetle

Hi Sonia,
The Twelve-Spotted Asparagus Beetle, Crioceris duodecimpunctata, is not closely related to the Lady Bug.  It is in the family Chrysomelidae, the Leaf Beetles.  The Twelve Spotted Asparagus Beetle is native to Europe, but it has been introduced to North America where it is considered an agricultural pest of the asparagus.

A black and white striped insect with rust colored legs.
May 31, 2009
I found this insect crawling on me while gardening. It seems inoffensive; despite me picking it up several times, it never tried to bite. The body was about 7mm long; with legs fully extended, it was about 1cm long. It has wings, but seems reluctant to use them; it never tried to escape by flight, only by crawling. I apologize for the poor photograph; my camera needs a macro lens to take better shots this close, and I have not yet purchased on. This was in late May of 2009, 70 degree temperatures, in central Maryland.
CommanderBalok
Central Maryland (suburb of Baltimore)

False Potato Beetle

Dear Commander Balok,
This is a False Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa juncta.  According to BugGuide, it can be distinguised from its close relative, the notorious plant pest the Colorado Potato Beetle, in the following manner:  “Similar to Colorado Potato Beetle (1), but elytral punctures are regular instead of irregular. Also, a brown stripe at the center of each elytron (wing cover) and on the inner edge of each elytron (where they meet down the middle) distinguish this species.” BugGuide has this to say about the similar looking Colorado Potato Beetle:  “Before the introduction of the potato in the US this beetle was confined to Colorado and neighboring states feeding on some native species of Solanum (night shade), now it has spread to most potato growing areas.  It has been transported to Europe where it has become a serious pest.”
Of the False Potato Beetle, BugGuide indicates:  “According to the University of Florida, the False Potato Beetle ‘is found primarily on the common noxious weed, horse-nettle, Solanum carolinense. It also feeds on other solanaceous plants, such as species of ground cherry or husk tomato, Physalis spp., and common nightshade, Solanum dulcamara.’”

Beige Bug Nookie
Wed, May 27, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Greetings!
I decided to head down to the river today to see what bugs I could dig up and I found this amorous couple having a lovely time on a branch. It was very windy, but they didn’t seem to mind.
The (female?) on the bottom finally got perturbed with me & started to move, but as her lover wasn’t about to take off, it nearly made me giggle – she was going very slow, and it didn’t look like she was slow by choice.
They’re extremely colourful (if not clashing a tad with those red legs!), but they posed nicely for me and I’ve sent 2 clips along to you.
Enjoy! And hopefully, you’ll be able to tell me what they are.
Janet
On the shores of the Oldman River, near Taber. Alberta, Canada.

Mating Leaf Beetles

Dear Janet,
Your pair is Calligrapha verrucosa, a species of Leaf Beetle without a common name. According to BugGuide, they feed on the leaves of willow. All of the photos posted to BugGuide were from Saskatchewan.

Mating Leaf Beetles

Red Beetle?
Mon, May 11, 2009 at 1:47 AM
Found this on my lily plant leaf. Would like to know about it, especially if it is harmful to my garden and greenhouse plants.
Katie
Leicester, UK

Lily Leaf Beetle

Hi Katie,
This is a Lily Leaf Beetle, Lilioceris lilii.  This beetle is native to Europe and has recently been introduced into parts of North America.  The larvae and adults feed on the leaves of true lilies, and can become so numerous they become a pest.  BugGuide has a nice dialog about the Lily Leaf Beetle, including one person calling them the “scourge of Cambridge” and others recommending using black pepper to control their numbers.

Gold/green transparant beetle
Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 9:46 AM
Hi Bugman,
I live in on Grand Cayman. Whilst volunteering for the Blue Iguanas at the Botanical Park last week, this beetle came out of the bucket of leaves we had collected. I can’t seem to find it on any websites so I need your help!! I have attached some photographs which should help with the ID. The transparent shell was over the wings (but split like a ladybird) and the inner half of this was coloured gold and green and speckled with blue. It had a 3rd part to the transparent shell which went over it’s head like a shield bug. The underside of it’s abdomen was also shiny. Total length maybe about 1 centimetre. It was quite happy walking around (trying to navigate my hairy arms!) but when my frined picked it up so we could get a photo of its underside it ‘crouched’ so it was very difficult to pick up.
I’ve attached some photos for you but have lots more (including one of it about to take off!) let me know if you would like to see some more.
Thanks! Emily
East End, Grand Cayman

Geiger Tortoise Beetle

Hi Emily,
This is some species of Tortoise Beetle. Tortoise Beetles are Leaf Beetles in the tribe Cassidini. The gorgeous metallic coloration vanishes after the insect dies, so mounted Tortoise Beetles in collections are not as beautiful as they are alive. Some Tortoise Beetles are called Gold Bugs.

Update: Monday, February 6, 2009
Daniel:
This looks like a tortoise beetle in the genus Eurypepla ( Chrysomelidae : Hispinae : Ischyrosonychini [=Physonotini]). It looks very much like E. calochroma, the Geiger Tortoise Beetle, varieties of which are found in south Florida and the Bahamas. Closely related species occur in Cuba (E. vitrea) and Jamaica (E. jamaicensis). Distribution information is very hard to find and it could be any of the above. Bugguide has some excellent images of the Geiger Tortoise Beetle, under the name Physonota calochroma. Apparently the generic placement of this species has been debated for a long time, but the current trend appears to lean toward Eurypepla. The Geiger Tortoise beetle is considered a mild pest in Florida where its preferred host is the Geiger Tree (Cordia sebestena). Regards.
Karl
http://bugguide.net/node/view/81647
http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/mannion/pdfs/GeigerBeetle.pdf