Heroes in a half shell

Here is a celebration of how awesome tortoise beetles are. From top left going anticlockwise we have Cassida vibex, Cassida nobilis, Cassida hemisphaerica, Cassida vittata, Cassida nebulosa (the only one ever recorded in Sussex) and Pilemsotoma fastuosa.

All of these have been recorded in Sussex. I have seen a further four Cassida species here but I have no photos of rubiginosa, viridis, flaveola or denticollis. Of the 95 records in my database, almost half are of rubiginosa and a quarter of vibex. Here is how they break down.

The two common ones are easy enough by sweeping thistle. Pilemsotoma is mainly on big stands of fleabane but seems to be scarce in the eastern end of East Sussex. I have only seen vittata, nebulosa and hemisphaerica once. It seems denticollis isn't that scarce around the Lewes Downs and on Sussex Uni campus on Yarrow (EDIT: but all three of my records were with a suction sampler). The striking nobilis is best seen by the coast. Kowabunga!