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Project Noah Nature School
Charidotella sp.
A gold and red Tortoise Beetle with 2 red dots on the center of the elytra. It also has a very wide clear margin around the entire beetle. About 5 mm long. The first 4 pictures are on top of the leaf, the last 2 pictures on the underside of the leaf. Family Chrysomelidae, Subfamily Cassidinae.
Parque Chorreadero, Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico.
This could be Charidotella succinea or Charidotella sexpunctata. Both occur in southern Mexico and pictures of both species look the same. What is very fascinating however, is the way these beetles can change instantly from gold to red. The elytra is made up of several layers, the lowest and thickest layer is red. The upper layers are thinner and more transparent, almost mirror-like. When these upper layers are hydrated, the beetle looks gold. If disturbed or threatened it can dehydrate the layers and it appears red (or redder) because the base layer is visible. See this article for an explanation of the research: http://cornerofthecabinet.com/2014/08/26.... See also: http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2006/08/09/g...
Spotted on Aug 22, 2015
Submitted on Feb 16, 2016
