Small green insect like a ladybird but smaller

[Nature's Babe]

Six legs,two feelers, very ladybird-like shape but smaller, green insect two black dash marks on top of its back. Picked a pound or two of my cultivated blackberries very clean thanks to the money spider webs covering the fruit, and found this one little green insect that I have never seen before. Can anyone identify what it is please ?

[glallotments]

Is this anything like it NB?

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=519 Scroll down to see the immature green shield bugs

More pictures here http://www.gardensafari.net/english/shieldbugs.htm

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Gallotments, thanks for trying, but definitely not a shieldbug, tiny with two black = marks on the top of its body, convex rounded green body and head in same proportions as a ladybird but it was leaf-green. In fact I googled green ladybird at first in case there was one. it had six tiny black legs and 2 plain frontal feelers, no obvious proboscis.

[peter]

Saw something like that last night, interested.what it is.

[Geoff]

Scanning my insect book there are surprisingly few green bugs. One possibility is Cetonia Cuprea but it sounds a bit big. Pictures on internet don't seem to show two dashes on front end that book does, any white spots on wing cases and is it shiny? Description includes "visiting various flowers, especially in woods, and also nibbling ripe fruit. Enjoys sunshine."

[Nature's Babe]

Thank you for trying but not that either Geoff, not metallic green, more leaf green and body rounded like a ladybird, smaller than the yellow ladybirds I think. Was yours that tiny too Peter?

[peter]

Match head viewed so it hides the matchstick from view.

[Nature's Babe]

Sounds like about the same size Peter.

[glallotments]

Hi Gallotments, thanks for trying, but definitely not a shieldbug, tiny with two black = marks on the top of its body, convex rounded green body and head in same proportions as a ladybird but it was leaf-green. In fact I googled green ladybird at first in case there was one. it had six tiny black legs and 2 plain frontal feelers, no obvious proboscis.

Have you looked at the photos as immmature shield bugs don't look anything like the adult bugs. You get an idea of the size from how the flower buds are magnified.

The colours can vary
[quote and photo from http://www.gardensafari.net/en_picpages ... asina.htm#]
The young that hatch do not look like their parents at all, for they are wingless and green with big black spots. Very soon they change their skin for the first time.
After changing their skin for the first time, the larvae become green with less black markings. After a few skin changes more, the black disappears and the young turn completely green, except for some small white or light green markings on the back.[end quote]

[alan refail]

Try googling Cassida rubiginosa - Thistle Tortoise Beetle

[peter]

"My" insect didn't have the flange round the base and had distinct shiny black spots, as well as seeming slightly iridescent.

This Cassida rubiginosa is like a vw beetle with an additional all round running board, mine is more like a jacked up vw beetle with the edges rounded under.

[Nature's Babe]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone, but not any of those
Mine didn't have the flange either and body and head were the same green,
more domed and curved, not iridisdcent, pair of thin plain black feelers no bulbous ends or joints and 6 black legs, like a minute ladybird, only .markings were on the highest part of its domed back, two thin = black marks. Quite fast moving too. I imagine it must be unusual, I have searched lots of beetle lists on line. If nose to tail three would fit in 1cm easily, so minute really.

[Parsons Jack]

Hi NB,

Sounds like it is probably one of the small leaf beetles. There are over 35000 to choose from, so I don't think you'll get a pic of all of them to check

[Nature's Babe]

Wow PJ, amazing what we still have to learn about nature.

[glallotments]

NB Put Green Leaf beetle into Google and search for images and see if you can see a photo that resembles it.

It may be a good idea to restrict your search to the UK.

I'm not sure whether this link will work for you but you could try it

[url]http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=green+leaf+beetle&hl=en&cr=countryUK|countryGB&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:{referrer:source%3F}&rlz=1I7HPEA_en-GB&biw=1680&bih=935&tbs=ctr:countryUK|countryGB&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=xf0jTqiKF4aBOsSblPEO&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CCEQ_AUoAQ[/url]