Golden Tortoise Beetle

After full development, A. sanctaecrucis will have a body length ranging from 15.6 to 16.3 mm and a body width ranging from 14.3 to 14.6 mm. Its elytra ranges in color from a uniform yellow to red brown to brown with lateral anterior and posterior corners of the margin visible dorsally. Each elytron contains a depression raised along the center behind its scutellum with prominently raised margins ending with a dorsal conical hump. It has approximately 9 rows of elytral punctures and explanate margins that are very broad. The general color of A. sanctaecrucis ranges from yellow to brown; its head and body color ranges from yellow to red brown, and its legs and antennae (excluding the last two antennomeres) are uniformly yellow. Its elytra can be uniformly yellow to red brown to brown. Its eyes are elliptical, the head has a distinct gena and its clypeus is depressed medially. It has fine clypeal grooves throughout and an emarginate labrum. The elytra have an explanate margin broader than the width of the disc and a body length exceeding 15 mm making it the largest species of Aspidimorpha in Kerala, India.A. sanctaecrucis is often confused with A. miliaris, resembling it in size and in the anterior and posterior angles of the elytral margin. However, the prominent ridge and longitudinal depression between the humerus and scutellum at the base of the elytra is diagnostic for A. …

A. sanctaecrucis has been reported in regions in Southwestern India, Central Asia, Southern China, and Southeastern Asia, including Malaysia and Indonesia. A. sanctaecrucis is well adapted for living in tropical environments, where rainfall is ample but unpredictable, and where food resources are available throughout the year. The species is active in the rainy season and enters diapause in the winter and summer. It lives on several species of Convolvulaceae, which are commonly known as Morning glory flowers, including Argyreia hookeri, Argyreia cuneata, and Ipomoea carnea. I. carnea is a shrub-like morning glory which grows as a weed in moist soil. It has a robust stem that allows it to stand erect until it reaches about 200–250 cm at which point it falls to the ground. A. sanctaecrucis can fly between plants and easily colonize newly formed plant patches where they are less likely to experience wasp parasitism than in older patches. The presence of A. sanctaecrucis on host leaves can be deduced from the beetle's irregular feeding pattern. The larvae and adults only feed on the peripheral margins of the lower surface of the leaf, leaving holes of variable size. This beetle is widely distributed and is oftentimes found sympatric with populations of Aspidimorpha miliaris on I. carnea.

A. sanctaecrucis can be found in southeastern Asia, from China and India to Indonesia.

A. sanctaecrucis lays eggs in a paper substance (ootheca) underneath fully opened leaves in aggregates that remain there after hatching into larvae. Clusters can range from 3-18 eggs, but on average, consist of about 11 eggs. In one study using Ipomoea carnea as a host plant, A. sanctaecrucis was observed to have a life cycle that ranged from 30 to 37 days under laboratory conditions. This included an egg incubation period of 7–9 days and five successive larval stages followed by a pupal stage. In a separate study that used Ipomoea Batatas as the host, A. miliaris, a coexisting species, was observed to have a life cycle of about one month. In this study, it was observed that the species and nutritional contents of the host plant significantly affected factors like its life cycle, reproductive rate, mortality rate, life span, and size. Currently, there are no studies on whether these factors affect A. sanctaecrucis which could be a future area of research.