tortoise beetle
noun
any of several turtle-shaped leaf beetles, as Chelymorpha cassidea (argus tortoise beetle or milkweed tortoise beetle), which resembles the ladybird beetle and feeds primarily on bindweed and milkweed.
Origin of tortoise beetle
First recorded in 1705–15
Words nearby tortoise beetle
tortilla,
tortilla flat,
tortillon,
tortious,
tortoise,
tortoise beetle,
tortoise brooch,
tortoise plant,
tortoise-core,
tortoiseshell,
tortoiseshell cat
British Dictionary definitions for tortoise beetle
tortoise beetle
noun
a metallic-coloured leaf beetle of the genus Cassida, in which the elytra and terga cover the body like a shell