Thistle tortoise beetle: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the thistle tortoise beetle lives – recorded in 20 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Cassida rubiginosa
Group	Beetles
Found in	20 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Class	Insect
Order	Coleoptera
Family	Chrysomelidae

Where does the thistle tortoise beetle live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the thistle tortoise beetle in 20 countries and territories across Europe and North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the thistle tortoise beetle?

The thistle tortoise beetle (Cassida rubiginosa) is an insect in the order Coleoptera and the family Chrysomelidae, genus Cassida. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the thistle tortoise beetle

The thistle tortoise beetle (Cassida rubiginosa) is a species of beetle in the subfamily Cassidinae (tortoise beetles) and the genus Cassida. The thistle tortoise beetle can be recognized by its green, rounded back and it can be found on thistle plants in many regions of North America and Europe. The thistle tortoise beetle was first discovered in 1902 in Lévis, Quebec. In 1931, Nellie F. Paterson was the first to document the mature larva. Later, the instar larva of this species was first recorded in 2004 by Jolanta Świętojańska. The thistle tortoise beetle exhibits multiple defense behaviors, such as a flexible shield, providing a barrier against the mandibles of predators, and an excretion that protects the eggs as well.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Thistle tortoise beetle (revision 1378311116), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q136153 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).