This little guy was so shiny, he was like the world's smallest neon sign!
It's a tortoise beetle. So called because their shell-like wing covers spread out at the sides, making them resemble tortoises. I simply love how the outer edge of those wing covers are also translucent. That is totally cool! This one even has a metallic gold-green coloring that was glinting madly in the morning sunlight. I wish I had a better shot but because I love how these beetles look and don't see them often—this is only my second sighting—I want him to be a part of my 365 project.
Only 0.5cm (0.2in) across. Tortoise beetles like morning glory, so you can look for them among these plants. 8)
@espyetta From what I've read, there are many species of tortoise beetles in the U.S.A. and some are really bright and showy. If you google for "tortoise beetle" and look at the images, you'll see many different types in many different colors! 8)
What interesting colours - I thought at first he was a miniature electronic beetle (!) but I should have known you wouldn't... The translucent part of the shell is most unusual. Love it!
oh, i love this beetle. this was the only kind of beetle i was willing to play with when i was young, maybe because of its sparkly green colours. great shot, as per usual, livia!
@jdr4690 Haha, I'm not amazed, I'm actually worried, I think I won't be able to find new, cute and interesting bugs anymore if I keep going back to the same old places to look unless I go to a primary forest but I don't want to go into a primary forest because they have scary bugs there! XD
what a magnificent looking bug ! Never seen anything like it before. At first glance I thought it was covered by a drop of water but after reading your commentary, I realised its sides are translucent. Amazing !
How amazing! What an eye you have to spot these tiny bugs. This one just sparkles. I checked and bravo! We have these in Florida and they also like palmettos, which we have plenty of. Need to keep on the watch & get me one of those lens extender thingys one of these days ;-) Fabulous capture!!
A great, big, shiny, neon-bright, extra sparkly, kinda cool and eye-catching "THANK YOU!" to everyone for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment! I like tortoise beetles and I hope I get to see more of them. They come in a fantastic variety of colors. Again, thank you so much, I appreciate your support for my project. I must, I must, I must try my best to finish!
