Defensive use of a fecal thatch by a beetle larva (Hemisphaerota cyanea)

The larva of the tortoise beetle, Hemisphaerota cyanea (Chrysomelidae, Cass idinae), constructs a thatch from long filamentous fecal strands, beneath w hich it is totally concealed. The thatch is not discarded at molting but is enlarged by addition of strands as the larva grows. Thatch construction be gins when the larva hatches from the egg. Pupation occurs beneath the thatc h. Two predators, a coccinellid beetle larva (Cycloneda sanguinea) and a pe ntatomid bug (Stiretrus anchorage), were shown to be thwarted by the thatch . However, one predator, a carabid beetle (Calleida viridipennis), feeds on the larva by either forcing itself beneath the thatch or chewing its way i nto it. The attack behavior is stereotyped, suggesting that the beetle feed s on Hemisphaerota larvae as a matter of routine.