Phytophagan beetles, which include weevils, longicorns, and leaf beetles, number over 120,000 species and form one of the largest radiations on Earth. Their ancient relationship with plants was crucial to evolutionary success.
Among them, the leaf beetle subfamily, Cassidinae, known as tortoise beetles and leaf-mining beetles, offers a fascinating window into understanding this evolutionary journey. The varied ways of consuming plants led to a wide range of morphologies, especially in their larvae. The different micro-habitats on plants imposed unique challenges and the beetles responded with diverse defense mechanisms, including peculiar fecal constructions and even maternal care. Phylogenetic hypotheses are a road map to pursuing the species’ natural history to piece together how cassidines evolved over time and to gain insights into the evolutionary transitions not only within Cassidinae but also within the broader beetle family, Chrysomelidae.
Caroline Chaboo grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, where her love for nature developed near rainforests and the sea. Her research into the evolution of cassidine beetles (tortoise and leaf mining beetles) involves fieldwork all over the world to study species life cycles and to build up museum collections. She is currently a Research Associate, University of Nebraska State Museum, Nebraska, USA.
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