CASSIDINAE - TORTOISE BEETLES
Named for their distinctive defensive behaviour of drawing in the head and legs under the armoured elytra and prothorax, the Tortoise Beetles are for the most part instantly recognisable. Ths Chrysomelid subfamily Hispinae is no longer recognised and is now considered a tribe of the Cassidinae.

Online Resources
Cassidinae of the World: An Interactive Manual Professor Lech Borowiec´s web page this is highly recommended for anybody with an interest in this group - thanks to Professor Borowiec the best studied of the Chrysomelid subfamilies - featuring species lists, identification keys and images of a large number of specimens.

Click on the images to enlarge them.
Thanks to Professor Lech Borowiec for his assistance with identification of some of the images in this gallery.
Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this page were taken by Paul Smith, Pier Cacciali and Alberto Esquivel and are used with their permission.
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FIGURE 1 - Charidotella sp. (in C.vinula species group) - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith November 2007 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
FIGURE 2 - Coptocyla (Psalidonota) contemta  - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Pier Cacciali June 2007 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
FIGURE 3 - Coraliomela brunnea - Bahía Negra, Departamento Alto Paraguay (Paul Smith September 2006).
FIGURE 4 - Coraliomela thoracia - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (David Gill March 2008 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
FIGURE 5 - Stolas festiva - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2007 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
FIGURE 6 - Stolas sp. probably lacordairei blue form (Cassidinae) - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith November 2007 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
FIGURE 7 - Stolas redtenbacheri - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Alberto Esquivel November 2007 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
FIGURE 8 - Stolas redtenbacheri - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Alberto Esquivel November 2007 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
FIGURE 9 - Larva of Tortoise Bug (Tribe Stolaini) - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith November 2007 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).