Identification
adult: broadly oval; margins of pronotum and elytra clear or golden, elytra usually mottled black and yellow but variable - some specimens being completely orangish-yellow (see images in Internet References section below)
larva: dull green, bluish along back, covered with broad branching masses of excrement (U. of Guelph, Ontario)
Range
Rocky Mountains east, southern Canada, south to Venezuela, West Indies
(1)Habitat
fields, meadows, gardens, lawns & yards
Season
adults active from spring through fall
Food
larvae and adults feed on leaves of Convolvulaceae (morning glory family)
(2)Life Cycle
overwinters as adult beneath leaf litter; multiple generations per year, the number varies with latitude
Internet References
preserved adult images - 7 images on 3 pages, showing color/pattern variation (Cassidinae of the World)
live adult image (Oregon State U.)
live adult images (Robert Vigneault, Quebec)
taxonomy & distribution (Cassidinae of the World)
common name reference (U. of Guelph, Ontario)
Contributed by
Robin McLeod on 24 March, 2005 - 5:19pm
Additional contributions by
Mike QuinnLast updated 6 January, 2006 - 11:39pm