Oxylepus kossmati Spaeth, 1901

Świętojańska, Jolanta & Borowiec, Lech, 2012, Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52, pp. 381-394 : 392-393

Oxylepus kossmati Spaeth, 1901

Oxylepus Kossmati Spaeth, 1901: 752 .

Oxylepus kossmati: BOROWIEC (1986) : 804, (1999): 314 (catalogue), (2002): 180; BOROWIEC & SEKERKA (2010): 380 (catalogue).

Oxylepis Kossmati: SPAETH (1914) : 87.

Oxylepus deflexicollis ( Boheman, 1862) : WRANIK (2003): 361 and pl. 176: fig. g (misidentification).

Type locality. Yemen, Aden.

Type material. SYNTYPES: 2 specimens, ‘Aden’ (preserved in Manchester Museum, Manchster, England).

Comment. In book on animal life of the Socotra Archipelago WRANIK (2003) showed a photo of a cassidine beetle identified as Oxylepus deflexicollis . Although we had no opportunity to study the specimen, in our opinion it was misidentified. In this area the only species of this genus occurs – O. kossmati . It was recorded from Aden, Oman, Erythrea, Djibuti, Somalia and Tanzania ( BOROWIEC 2002). The species was described based on maculate form, thus in key to the Palearctic Cassidinae ( SPAETH & REITTER 1926) the main distinguishing character of O. kossmati from other species was maculate elytra. Recent material showed that it is a variable species and forms both maculate and immaculate morphs; thus immaculate specimens can be misidentified with very similar O. delexicollis which differs only in distinctly shorter scutellum. Detailed redescription of O. kossmati and colour photos are available in BOROWIEC (2002).