Mottled Tortoise Beetle
Deloyala guttata
The outer edge of this beetle's shell is completely transparent, acting like a structural glass window that camouflages the insect against green leaves.
- Scientific name
- Deloyala guttata
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Chrysomelidae › Deloyala
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Fields, gardens, agricultural areas, and weedy roadsides.
- Diet
- Leaves of Convolvulaceae plants, including morning glories, sweet potato crops, and bindweed.
- Range
- North America, Central America
- Size
- 5 to 7 mm in length
- Lifespan
- About 1 year
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Broad-spectrum chemical pesticides and intensive mechanical mowing of host weeds.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless to humans. You can safely observe them closely on morning glory leaves. If one crawls onto your hand, let it walk off naturally or gently nudge it onto a plant; they do not bite, sting, or carry toxins.
Deloyala guttata , the mottled tortoise beetle , is a species of tortoise beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is found in the Caribbean, Central America, North America, and South America.
Photo: Zygy, CC0, via iNaturalist
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