Subfamily Cassidinae - Tortoise Beetles and the Hispines

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Remarks · Works Cited

Interesting Insect on Purple Nightshade leaf

Sumitrosis inaequalis? - Sumitrosis inaequalis

Argus Tortoise Beetle - Chelymorpha cassidea

Gratiana pallidula pupa - Gratiana pallidula

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)

Superfamily Chrysomeloidea (Longhorn and Leaf Beetles)

Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles)

Subfamily Cassidinae (Tortoise Beetles and the Hispines)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

The Hispinae are now part of the Cassidinae(1)(2)(3); note that the Cassidinae of the World site(4) only covers the tortoise beetles

Explanation of Names

Cassidinae Gyllenhal 1813

Numbers

114 spp. in 33 genera in our area, ~7,000 spp. in hundreds of genera worldwide(3)(5), arranged in ~40 tribes, of which just 5 represented in our area(6)

Identification

Key to AL spp.(7)

Range

worldwide, much more diverse in the tropics

Remarks

tortoise beetle specimens often dramatically change color in preserved state(4)

Works Cited

1.	The Hispine Beetles of America North of Mexico (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) Charles L. Staines. 2006. 2006. Virginia Museum of Natural History, in association with the Smithsonian Institution.

2.	Catalog of Leaf Beetles of America North of Mexico Ed Riley, Shawn Clark, and Terry Seeno. 2003. Coleopterists Society.

3.	American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.

4.	Cassidinae of the world - an interactive manual (by Lech Borowiec and Jolanta Świętojańska)

5.	Chrysomelid males with enlarged mandibles: three new species and a review of occurrence in the family (Coleoptera:Chrysomelidae) Reid C.A.M., Beatson M. 2013. Zootaxa 3619: 79–100.

6.	Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta) Bouchard P. et al. 2011. ZooKeys 88: 1–972.

7.	The leaf beetles of Alabama Edward Balsbaugh and Kirby Hays. 1972. Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University.

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, McClarinJ, Mike Quinn, Boris Bueche, v belov
Last updated 1 March, 2015 - 9:39pm

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