Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
considered by
Lech Borowiec to be in the genus
HelocassisExplanation of Names
CLAVATA: from the Latin "clava" (a club or knotty branch); probably refers to the 4 knob-like projections of the dark patch on the carapace - described as "legs" on a "teddy bear" in the Identification section below
Numbers
Two subspecies:
clavata, testudinaria (1)
the latter is considered a separate species (
Helocassis testudinaria) by Lech Borowiec
Size
body 5-7 mm; female larger than male
Identification
most noticeable feature in adult, covering much of the carapace, is a dark brown irregular patch shaped like a teddy bear, with the front and back "legs" of the "bear" extending to the outer margins of the elytra, and the "head" of the "bear" extending onto the pronotum
Range
P. c. clavata: Great Plains states east, plus southeastern Canada (NB, QC, ON)
(1)
P. c. testudinaria: Arizona to Louisiana, south to South America
(1) Food
plants in the tomato family (Solanaceae) such as ground-cherries (
Physalis spp.), Jimsonweed (
Datura stramonium), Horse-nettle (
Solanum carolinense), and nightshades (
Solanum spp.)
(2)
Other reported host plants, e.g.
(3) probably incidental.
(2)See Also
in
clavata, the "legs" and "head" of the "bear" are as dark as its "body", whereas in
testudinaria, these extremities seem slightly paler than the "body" but I'm not sure whether this is a reliable difference. [RM]
Deloyala species of tortoise beetles are superficially similar but the "teddy bear" shape on their carapace is missing "hind legs"
Internet References
preserved adult images of male and female (Lech Borowiec and Jolanta Wietojanska, Cassidinae of the world - an interactive manual)
taxonomic history plus host plants and distribution (Lech Borowiec and Jolanta Wietojanska, Cassidinae of the world - an interactive manual)
distribution in Canada - PDF doc (Chrysomelidae, in: Checklist of the Beetles of Canada & Alaska)
