feces, which resembles a clay pot. They carry

this pot like the shell of a hermit crab or a snail,

enlarging it as they grow, and it protects them from

desiccation, physical damage, and predators, as

they can retreat within it and close the entrance

with a flat plate on their head. In many species, the

larvae allow their pots to be collected by foraging

localized. More than three-quarters of

the 24 species occurring in Britain, for

example, have been given conservation

status and are restricted to just a few known

sites. The dry parts of the Mediterranean,

Central Asia, and southern North America,

on the other hand, support large numbers of

individuals and a high diversity of species

opposite | Chlamisus This South

American species can retract its head and

limbs and resemble the dropping of a large

caterpillar, to deceive predators.

ants, then live associated with the ants, scavenging

in and around their nests.

Although the larvae are often generalist feeders

on dead vegetation, the adults are usually quite

host-specific on living plants, often tough xerophytic

and aromatic dry-habitat species, feeding on the

leaves and accumulating plant compounds for their

own defense. Adults of some species also feed on

and pollinate flowers, and are diurnally active, so

bright metallic colors are common.

When threatened, adult Cryptocephalinae

immediately retract their head, antennae, and

legs, and drop to the ground. Adults of the

tribe Chlamisini imitate the droppings of large

caterpillars, which often share the same host plant,

to avoid being eaten by birds.

above left | Cryptocephalus sericeus

A metallic green European species

that pollinates a range of plants with

yellow flowers.

above right | Cryptocephalus Larva

of a species from Singapore, showing

its protective case, or pot, which is

made from its own feces.