Cassida drakensbergensis Borowiec, 2005

Borowiec, Lech & Świętojańska, Jolanta, 2022, A monograph of the Afrotropical Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Part 6. Revision of the tribe Cassidini 3, the genus Cassida L., Zootaxa 5171 (1), pp. 1-250 : 62-63

Cassida drakensbergensis Borowiec, 2005

(figs. 9, 324–325)

Cassida drakensbergensis Borowiec, 2005: 117 .

Description. L: 6.00 mm, W: 5.00 mm, Lp: 2.10 mm, Wp: 3.35 mm, L/W: 1.20, Wp/Lp: 1.59. Body almost circular (fig. 324).

Pronotum yellow. Elytra yellow with black elongate spot in postscutellar area. Basal margin of pronotum and anterior margin of elytral disc narrowly black. Punctures in anterolateral and central part of disc with dark brown to black areola (figs. 324, 325). Ventrites, legs and antennae uniformly yellow.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width distinctly before middle, sides broadly rounded, no basal corners. Disc moderately convex, indistinctly bordered from explanate margin, with indistinctly separated area above head. Surface of disc distinctly impunctate, shiny. Explanate margin broad, impunctate, shiny.

Scutellum triangular, without punctures, row or wrinkle. Base of elytra slightly wider than base of pronotum. Humeri distinctly protruding anterad, obtuse. Anterior margin of elytron shallowly emarginate with very fine crenulation. Disc in profile distinctly, regularly convex, with top of convexity in postscutellar area, no postscutellar impressions (fig. 325). Punctation of disc regular, moderately coarse and sparse, distance between punctures irregular, in some parts of row punctures almost touching each other, in other distance between punctures twice to thrice larger than puncture diameter. Punctures on slope very sparse and punctation appears almost irregular. Intervals mostly twice wider than rows, interspaces on sides of elytra slightly convex, form a low folds and surface of elytral sides appears slightly irregular, also postscutellar area slightly elevated. Marginal row distinct, its punctures slightly coarser than in submarginal row. Marginal interval distinct, approximately 1.5 times as wide as lateral rows. Explanate margin of elytra moderately declivous, broad, in the widest part thrice narrower than disc, its surface shallowly, densely punctate, appears distinctly irregular. Apex of elytral epipleura with sparse, erect setae.

Head broad, eyes large, gena very short. Clypeus approximately 1.2 times as wide as long, with distinct clypeal lines converging in triangle, surface of clypeus shiny, impunctate. Labrum emarginate to 1/5 length. Antennae slim, segments 8–10 distinctly longer than wide. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:46:46:64:66:44:50:53:53:50:93, segment 3 as long as segment 2, segment 4 approximately 1.4 times as long as segment 3 (fig. 9).

Prosternal process moderately broad, expanded apically, its central part flat, apex with round impression ( fig. 8 ).

Claws simple ( fig. 10 ).

Distribution. Northeastern part of South Africa (fig. 9).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida unimaculata species–group. Cassida drakensbergensis is very close to C. unimaculata and C. emontinensis . All three species have almost circular body, strongly convex elytral disc, broadly rounded sides of pronotum with no lateral corners, impunctate disc of pronotum, regularly punctate elytral disc, yellow ventrites and antennae, and a characteristic elytral pattern with small black spot or stripe in the postscutellar area ( figs. 322 , 324, 326, 327). Cassida drakensbergensis differs in the following characters (in brackets characters of both relatives): elytral spot elongate (almost round in C. unimaculata or in form of narrow stripe not exceeding borders of sutural elevation in C. emontinensis ), punctation of elytra coarse (fine to moderately coarse in both relatives), interspaces on sides of elytra slightly convex, form a low folds and surface of elytral sides appears slightly irregular (interspaces flat, surface of elytral sides completely regular in both relatives), punctures in anterolateral and central part of elytra with dark areola (without areola in both relatives), and surface of explanate margin of elytra strongly irregular (only slightly irregular in both relatives).

Type examined. Holotype: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: nördl. Drakensberge , Wolkberg, 2–7.xi.1999, 24°02’S / 30°00’E, U. Göllner ( PPRIP).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Distribution of Cassida capensis (black circles) Cassida cordula (black square) and Cassida emontinensis (black diamond). FIGURE 9. Distribution of Cassida distinguenda (black circles), Cassida diversepunctata (black diamond) and Cassida drakensbergensis (black square).

FIGURE 10. Distribution of Cassida chrysanthemoide. FIGURE 11. Distribution of Cassida guttipennis (black circles) and Cassida foveolatipennis (black diamonds).

FIGURES 322–323. Cassida emontinensis. 324–325. Cassida drakensbergensis. 322, 324. Dorsal; 323, 325. Lateral.