Cassida pudens Boheman, 1854

(figs. 30, 333–335)

Cassida pudens Boheman, 1854: 482; Borowiec, 1999 a: 275; Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001: 161.

Cassida subplana Spaeth, 1928: 5; Heron & Borowiec, 1997: 631; Borowiec, 1999 a: 275 (as syn.).

Description. L: 5.30–6.70 mm, W: 4.40–5.30 mm, Lp: 1.70–2.30 mm, Wp: 3.3–4.2 mm, L/W: 1.20–1.33, Wp/Lp: 1.83–1.94. Body short–oval, sides regularly rounded (figs. 333, 334).

Uniformly yellow, including ventrites, legs and antennae (figs. 333–335).

Pronotum semicircular, with maximum width at base, sides angulate. Disc indistinctly bordered from explanate margin, without lateral lobes. Surface of disc finely but deeply punctate, punctures slightly finer but more dense than those of elytral disc, distance between punctures mostly slightly narrower than puncture diameter. Surface of disc appears slightly irregular. Explanate margin of pronotum shallowly punctate, but punctures hardly visible and surface appears rather slightly irregular than punctate.

Base of elytra wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anterad, angulate. Disc slightly depressed in profile, without impressions and elevations (fig. 335). Punctation moderately coarse and dense, distance between punctures from slightly narrower to as wide as puncture diameter. Surface of disc appears regular. Explanate margin moderately broad, moderately declivous, in the widest part 4.5 times narrower than disc, with punctation slightly coarser and more dense than on disc, but surface regular.

Eyes large, gena short, distance between under margin of eye and lateral angle of labrum approximately twice shorter than half eye width. Clypeus broad, 1.2 times as wide as long, clypeal grooves distinct, converging with regular triangle, surface of clypeal plate flat, shiny, with several very small setose punctures. Labrum shallowly emarginate. Antennae slim, segments 9–10 longer than wide. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:53:73:57:53:6 0:73:70:73:73:103. Segment 3 approximately 1.4 times longer than 2 and approximately 1.3 times longer than 4.

Prosternum moderately broad in the middle, strongly expanded apically, area between coxa, flat, shiny, along sides with rows of small setose punctures, expanded apex convex in the middle, impressed laterally, central part shiny, with few small setose punctures, impressed sides with dense setose punctures.

Claws simple.

Host plants. Asteraceae: Othonna parviflora P.J. Bergius (Borowiec & Świętojańska 2001); Othonna quinquedentata Thunberg (Heron & Borowiec, 1997) .

Distribution. South Afrika: Cape (fig. 30).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida litigiosa species–group. It belongs to the subgroup of large species with an almost semicircular pronotum. The subgroup comprises also C. distinguenda and C. limpopoana . Both differ in shorter eyes with gena longer or approximately as long as half eye length (in C. pudens distinctly shorter than half eye length). Cassida limpopoana differs also in a much more convex elytra (fig. 319), and base of the elytra as wide as base of pronotum (figs. 317, 318) while in C. pudens the base of the elytra is wider than base of pronotum (figs. 333, 334). Cassida distinguenda differs also in a slimmer body and slightly coarser and denser punctation of the elytral disc (fig. 309).

Types examined. Holotype of Cassida pudens Boheman, 1854: [SOUTH AFRICA]: Cap., Berg 1093 (ZMHU); lectotype and paralectotype of Cassida subplana Spaeth, 1928, designated by Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001: 162 [SOUTH AFRICA]: Afrika, 2, G. De V. (NRS); paralectotype of Cassida subplana Spaeth, 1928 designated by Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001: 162 [SOUTH AFRICA]: Afrika (MM).

Other specimens examined. SOUTH AFRICA: Cap. B. Spei, 2, Peringuey (1 NRS, 1 MM); Cape Prov., Doorn River, XII 1931, 1 (LS) ; Western Cape, Ceres Michell’s Pass, 400 m, 22 X 1957, 10, R. z. Strassen (SMF) ; Western Cape Prov., Palmiet West, Kleinmond, 34°20’S, 18°59’E, 1 (ARC) ; Western Cape Prov., Near Pringle Bay, 34°16’S, 18°50’E, 1 (ARC) ; Western Cape, St. James, 34.07 S 18.27 E, 27 IV 1989, 10, J. Scott & Kleinjan (NIC, MNHW) .