CLOSED: Bright shiny metallic gold beetle

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Illoquin Indianapolis, IN(Zone 5b) Jun 21, 2007

This guy is smallish -- this is the best photo I could get because he's so shiny.

Suzy

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Post #3641419
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claypa West Pottsgrove, PA(Zone 6b) Jun 21, 2007

It's one of the Tortoise Beetles, maybe Charidotella sexpunctata. Do any of them have six spots?
They eat Morning Glories and Sweet Potato vines.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/8826

Post #3642185
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Illoquin Indianapolis, IN(Zone 5b) Jun 21, 2007

Hey Thanks! I have the Sweet potato Vine -- do they do anything good? I'm not going to get rid of them, I just wanted to know. And yes, I have the reddish ones, too. What's the difference between the reddish ones and the metallic gold?

Suzy

Post #3642307
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claypa West Pottsgrove, PA(Zone 6b) Jun 21, 2007

This year I've just seen a couple on sweet potato vines, but in the past I've seen hundreds of these almost destroy a MG vine.
I don't know why some are red or gold in the same species.... ?

Post #3642332
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2vernes Blytheville, AR(Zone 7a) Jun 22, 2007

I've had these little gold beetles before and they love to eat on my ornamental sweet potato vines. I collected a couple one year and kept them in a sandwich baggie trying to get identification. Would put a potato leaf in and they were happy. If you mess with the gold bugs, they turn the orangey color. Then later they turn back to gold. You can watch them turn from gold to orange. Pretty cool, huh? Our towns extension agent didn't know what they were. Had to go to Daves Garden for i.d. I was totally amazed with the little gold beetles when I first found them---they are the color of my gold wedding band. Sheverne

Post #3643902
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