Golden Tortoise Beetle Larva (fecal shield)

Typically found on leaves of plants in the Convolvulaceae family, such as morning glories, sweet potatoes, and bindweed.

Herbivorous; both larvae and adults feed chew holes in the leaves of their host plants.

The most distinctive behavior is the construction of an 'anal shield' or 'fecal shield' carried over their back. They attach their own shed skins and excrement to a forked anal appendage and hold it over their body as camouflage and a defense mechanism against predators. When disturbed, they may wave this shield.

Generally harmless to humans (they do not bite or sting). While they can cause aesthetic damage to garden plants like morning glories and sweet potatoes by eating holes in leaves, they rarely cause severe enough damage to kill the plant.