Often found on Physalis plants. Last summer I found first the adult, then the larva, on a small stand of Physalis, so today I decided to have a look and see if I could find either, and there was the larva. This flat-bodied little creature is about 3 mm in size. The black blob is a protective cover of feces. Many beetles use feces to deter predators, either as larvae or deposited by females on top of newly laid eggs.