Scientific Classifications explained
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UK Nature > Beetles > Cassida vibex
Scientific Name: Cassida vibex
Common Name: Tortoise Beetle
Cassida vibex, more commonly known as the Tortoise Beetle, is one of several similar beetles with flat, rounded bodies. It is pale golden green with a darker central band on its back. When disturbed, the adults behave just like tortoises, pulling their antennae and feet in and pulling their 'shell' tight down around them as they grip tightly on to the leaf they are on.
They feed on White Dead Nettle, Hedge Woundwort and Water Mint, and are often found in gardens (the one above was photographed on a Knapweed leaf in my own back garden) during April to September. It is often found on Thistles and Yarrow in summer. Found mainly south of a line from the Severn to the Wash.
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