author(s)
Amita Naik

abstract
Tortoiseshell beetles are typical holometabolous insects, belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, specifically to the subfamily Cassidinae. Aspidimorpha miliaris is a relatively common, attractive, and fairly large-sized beetle when compared to other members of the family Cassidinae. Being holometabolous, the metamorphic life cycle stages typically include egg, larva, pupa, and adult. These are herbivorous insects that feed voraciously on the green tissue of their host plants, which are otherwise considered major weeds belonging to the family Convolvulaceae. Although tiny, if present in large numbers, they often skeletonize the entire plant due to their voracious feeding behaviour, which is why they are effective biocontrol agents for these weeds. The current study presents the life history and behaviour of a relatively large Cassidinae species, Aspidimorpha miliaris, a tortoise beetle belonging to the family Cassidinae, encompassing its morphology, behaviour, host plants, feeding patterns, and life cycle stages. The descriptions are made with line drawings and actual photographs.