Bug FAQGreen Tortoise Beetle (Cassida viridis)
Cassida viridis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
The green tortoise beetle is a very flat, oval beetle whose thorax and wing covers are uniformly green, lacking the spots seen on related species. Adults are 8.5 to 10 mm long and are most often found on low vegetation such as meadow plants or the leaves of various mints and other members of the mint family. It lives across most of Europe, the eastern Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa and can be seen from April through October.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s body is unusually flat and oval, and its thorax and elytra are solid green without the typical markings of other Cassida species.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 8.5 to 10 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are usually found on their food plants, especially various mint species and other Lamiaceae.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They feed on a range of mint plants (e.g., water mint, field mint, wild mint) and other Lamiaceae such as galeopsis, melissa, sage, and stachys species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larvae are covered in many spines. For protection they carry a fecal shield on two dorsal spines.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults can be encountered from April through October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs throughout most of Europe, the eastern Palearctic realm, the Near East and North Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Unlike other Cassida beetles, this species lacks the characteristic spots on its thorax and elytra, making its solid green color a key distinguishing feature.
Source: Wikipedia
Status: introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants do green tortoise beetles eat?
They feed on various mint species and other members of the mint family such as sage, melissa, and stachys.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are green tortoise beetles found?
They live across most of Europe, the eastern Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa, usually on low vegetation in open areas.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell this beetle apart from other Cassida species?
Its thorax and wing covers are uniformly green and lack the spots that other Cassida beetles have.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Chrysomelidae)
Spotted Cucumber BeetleDiabrotica undecimpunctataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bean WeevilAcanthoscelides obtectusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Cowpea WeevilCallosobruchus maculatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Swamp Milkweed Leaf BeetleLabidomera clivicollisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Alder Leaf BeetleAgelastica alniDamages trees, gardens or crops
Dogbane Leaf BeetleChrysochus auratusSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassida_viridis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.