Charidotella sexpunctata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Charidotella sexpunctata, the golden tortoise beetle, is a species of beetle in the leaf beetle family, Chrysomelidae. It is native to the Americas, and very broadly distributed. Charidotella sexpunctata in North America was formerly known as Metriona bicolor. The species has also been seen in regions reaching up to Argentina.
There are two subspecies, ssp. bicolor and ssp. sexpunctata. Adult C. sexpunctata measure 5–7 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) in length. They are variable in color from reddish-brown with black spots to brilliant, mirror-like gold, earning it the nickname "goldbug". Elytral margins are expanded and nearly transparent.
The color changes through its development, during mating, and during times of disturbance, such as when it is touched by a human researcher. Scientists have not examined the color-change mechanism in this species. However, color change in the related Panamanian Charidotella egregia (also called 'golden tortoise beetle') occurs when this beetle's elytra hydrate and dehydrate. Adults of both species can turn from shiny gold through reddish-brown when disturbed.
Female Charidotella sexpunctata lay clusters... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Tortoise Beetle sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 441st most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and August–September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Tortoise Beetle in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and October–May, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden Tortoise Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Golden Tortoise Beetle sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Channel Islands National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Chrysomelidae
The closest relatives of the Golden Tortoise Beetle that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Chrysomelidae, Leaf Beetles) are Spotted Cucumber Beetle (about 20%), Sumitrosis inaequalis (about 10%) and Dogbane Leaf Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Golden Tortoise Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
