Cassida Explained

Cassida is a large Old World genus of tortoise beetles in the subfamily Cassidinae. The natural history of Cassida sphaerula in South Africa is a typical life cycle.^[1] Several species of Cassida are important agricultural pests,^[2] in particular C. vittata and C. nebulosa on sugar beet and spinach. The thistle tortoise beetle (Cassida rubiginosa) has been used as a biological control agent against Canada thistle.

The genus name is derived from Latin Cassis for a metal helmet.

There are at least 430 described species in Cassida. This genus contains the most species of all Cassidinae.^[3] Larvae build shields with their feces and exuviae, a widespread pattern of tortoise beetles.^[4]

See also

• List of Cassida species

Further reading

• Bouchard . Patrice. Bousquet . Yves. Davies . Anthony E.. Alonso-Zarazaga . Miguel A.. Lawrence . John F.. 4. 2011. Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta). ZooKeys. Pensoft Publishers. 88. 1–972. 1313-2989. 10.3897/zookeys.88.807. 21594053. 3088472. free.
• Book: Clark . S. M.. Le Doux . D. G.. Riley . E. G.. Gilbert . A. J.. Sullivan . J. M.. 4. 2004. Host Plants of Leaf Beetle Species Occurring in the United States and Canada. Coleopterists Society. 9780972608732.
• Book: LeConte . J. L.. 1861. Classification of the Coleoptera of North America. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. Smithsonian Institution. 3. 136. 0665100558. 10.5962/bhl.title.38459. free.

External links

Notes and References

1. Adam S., M. Campos, H.D.C. Heron, C. Staines, R. Westerduijn, & C.S. Chaboo. 2022. Natural history notes of Cassida sphaerula Boheman, 1853 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidini) on Arctotheca prostrata (Salisb.) Britten (Asteraceae) in South Africa. Insecta Mundi 095: 1-23.
2. Chaboo, C.S. 2007. Biology and phylogeny of the Cassidinae (tortoise and leaf-mining beetles) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 305:250pp.
3. Book: Boroweic, L. . 1999 . A world catalogue of the Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Biologica Silesiae.
4. Chaboo, C.S., S. Adam, K. Nishida, L. Schletzbaum. 2023. Architecture, construction, retention, and repair of fecal shields in three tribes of tortoise beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae Cassidinae: Cassidini, Mesomphaliini, Spilophorini). ZooKeys Special Issue, Research on Chrysomelidae 9. ZooKeys 1177: 87–146. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1177.102600