Harry Potter and the mystery of the Golden Beetle

Photo source: dailymail.co.uk

The Golden Snitch or simply the "Snitch" , is the third and smallest ball used in Quidditch. It is a walnut-sized gold-coloured sphere with silver wings. It flies around the Quidditch field at high speeds, sometimes pausing and hovering in place. 

The Seeker's goal is to catch the Snitch before the other team's seeker, which is worth one-hundred and fifty points. The game can only end when the Snitch has been caught, or by mutual agreement of the two teams' Captains; the latter is very rare, however, as one team would have to lose..... but if you are a Harry Potter fan like me, you probably already knew that. 

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Photo source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Photos source:  www.dailymail.co.uk ,harrypotter.wikia.com

At first glance this beetle, looks like the flying golden snitch that Harry Potter chased while playing quidditch, but in fact this amazing insect is an amazing unique color-changing beetle. The golden tortoise beetle (Charidotella sexpunctata) is 5 to 7 millimeters in length, and it belongs to the Chrysomelidae family. 

The Golden Tortoise Beetle, can change color and can even alter its reflectivity. Its external margins are expanded and lack pigmentation, becoming nearly transparent, the color changes seasonally, and the beetle can change color when threatened by changing the flow of fluid between the layers of its cuticle. It turns from shiny gold to dull brown when disturbed. 

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Charidotella
Species: C. sexpunctata

Sources:

dailymail.co.uk
harrypotter.wikia.com
Murray, T. Golden Tortoise Beetle. Garden Friends and Foes. Washington State University, Whatcom County Extension.

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