3
$\begingroup$

It has transparent wings which covers the body like an armor. It has shining red orange colour.

enter image description here

I found it in the western ghats of kerala.

$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ Now, that's an interesting insect. But, we post pictures here on the insect, and it's likely a better photo is needed (but not absolute.) $\endgroup$ Oct 24, 2017 at 13:16

1 Answer 1

8
$\begingroup$

This is a tortoise beetle, a coleopteran from the Family Cassidinae.

According to the Queensland Museum:

tortoise beetles are quite distinctive because they’re actually quite flattened and their wing covers are expanded around the edges. So the wing covers are the hard forewings that protect the hind wings in beetles and because they’re spread out at the sides, they look somewhat like a turtle or a tortoise. So that’s how they get their common name.

There are many beautiful specimens, like these:

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

Your photo is not exactly the best one, but based only on it I'd say that your specimen is a golden tortoise beetle (Aspidimorpha sanctaecrucis):

enter image description here

Here is another image of it, even more similar to your specimen:

enter image description here

$\endgroup$
2
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ That's my favorite insect from this day! $\endgroup$
    – Serotonin
    Oct 25, 2017 at 4:57
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Mine is the passion fruit bug: biology.stackexchange.com/a/65070/24284 $\endgroup$
    – user24284
    Oct 25, 2017 at 5:03

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .