Larval-defense
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Cassidini
tortoise beetles
Cassidini is a large tribe of tortoise beetles within the leaf beetle subfamily Cassidinae, comprising approximately 40 genera and 600 species worldwide. Members are commonly known as "tortoise beetles" due to their domed, shield-like appearance. A 2017 phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters found Cassidini to be nonmonophyletic with respect to Aspidimorphini, leading to the formal synonymization of the latter with Cassidini; the same study suggested Ischyrosonychini should also be included. Larvae construct distinctive defensive shields from exuviae and faeces using a telescopic anus, a trait that may represent a synapomorphy for the crown-clade Cassidinae.
Microctenochira
Microctenochira is a genus of tortoise beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, containing at least 110 described species. Members of this genus exhibit the characteristic domed carapace of tortoise beetles, with some species possessing translucent elytra with opaque patterns. The genus occurs in the New World tropics, with documented observations from Costa Rica and other Central American regions. Larvae of at least some species construct protective structures from shed exoskeletons and fecal material.
Physonota calochroma
Physonota calochroma is a tortoise beetle species in the family Chrysomelidae, originally described by Blake in 1965. The species is currently treated as a synonym of Eurypepla calochroma. As a member of the tortoise beetle subfamily Cassidinae, it possesses the characteristic domed carapace formed by modified elytra and pronotum. Larvae of the genus Physonota construct distinctive fecal umbrellas using exuviae and frass, held aloft by urogomphi structures.