Wild Olive Tortoise Beetle

Image: Andreas Kay
Physonota alutacea

I love it when insects go all prehistoric!

Turns out I love it even more when they go all prehistoric, spiky, twin-stinger wasp. Who knew?

Image: Andreas Kay

This is the larva of the Wild Olive Tortoise Beetle. There's very little information available about it but it certainly feeds on the Mexican Olive and is found in Texas through to Colombia.

To be clear, those snazzy tails aren't actually stingers. Many other Tortoise Beetle larvae use tails like that to carry around a little dollop of faeces as protection from predators. Thank goodness this one doesn't do that! They need to enjoy that splendid shade of yellow while they still can...

Image: Liam O'Brien

Adults are much more drab in colour and completly lacking in cool spikes. I guess it suits them just fine since Tortoise Beetles are rather shy and like to hide under their shells. That armour is spacious enough to completely cover their head and legs, leaving nothing for a gang of hungry ants to grab onto.

The larvae, on the other hand...

Image: kyukich

They like to party!