Cassida
Encyclopedia
Cassida is a large genus
of tortoise beetle
s in the subfamily Hispinae
. Several species of Cassida are important agricultural pests, in particular C. vittata and C. nebulosa
on sugar beet
and spinach
. The thistle tortoise beetle
(Cassida rubiginosa) has been used as a biological control agent against Canada thistle.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of tortoise beetle
Tortoise beetle
The tortoise beetles are an artificial grouping of tribes within the leaf beetle subfamily Hispinae. In past classifications, they have been variously placed as a family or a subfamily ; when it was recognized that this group was not monophyletic, it was split and the resulting tribes were...
s in the subfamily Hispinae
Hispinae
The Hispinae are a subfamily of the leaf beetles, or Chrysomelidae. It includes both the traditional Hispines plus the former "cassidines", now split up within the Hispinae, including the tribe Cassidini, with a total of over 125 genera in numerous tribes....
. Several species of Cassida are important agricultural pests, in particular C. vittata and C. nebulosa
Cassida nebulosa
Cassida nebulosa or tortoise beetle is a species of leaf beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Galerucinae.It feeds on several plants of the Chenopodiaceae species, especially on beets Beta vulgaris, Chenopodium album, C. glaucum and Atriplex hortensis.It is widely distributed in...
on sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
and spinach
Spinach
Spinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions...
. The thistle tortoise beetle
Thistle Tortoise Beetle
The thistle tortoise beetle, Cassida rubiginosa, is a tortoise beetle, and as such belongs to the leaf beetles. It has a green carapace ....
(Cassida rubiginosa) has been used as a biological control agent against Canada thistle.