Cassida bamendana, Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2022

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 : 33-35

Cassida bamendana sp. nov.

( figs. 6 , 124–125 )

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F9A051EB-934B-44A6-87D4-FBDF8E20FDD8

Etymology. Named after its type locality Bamenda in Cameroon.

Description. L: 4.20–4.45 mm, W: 3.40–4.62 mm, Lp: 1.40–1.60 mm, Wp: 2.55–2.80 mm, L/W: 1.23–1.26, Wp/Lp: 1.75–1.82. Body broadly oval ( fig. 124 ).

Pronotal disc black, at base with two yellow oblique spots tending to form V–shaped figure, base of praescutellar lobe narrowly yellow. Explanate margin of pronotum yellow. Scutellum mostly black with narrowly yellow to yellowish brown margins or black basally and yellowish in posterior half. Elytral disc mostly black except yellow marginal interval, extreme apex and small 14–22 spots in central part of disc, the largest pair of yellow spots with postscutellar elevation forming an H–shaped figure. Explanate margin of elytra yellow ( figs. 124, 125 ). Frontoclypeal plate in basal half black and yellow apically but with diffused border between black and yellow colours, in holotype frontoclypeal plate mostly yellowish with black basal corners and lateral margins. Ventrites including coxa mostly black, only abdomen surrounded by yellow. Antennae and legs uniformly yellow.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width in the middle, sides broadly rounded, no basal corners.Disc moderately convex, separated from explanate margin by shallow sulcus, with indistinctly separated area above head. Surface of disc shiny, mostly impunctate only in impressed parts with very small, sparse punctures. Explanate margin broad, impunctate, shiny, transparent with honeycomb structure.

Scutellum triangular, without punctures, rows or wrinkles. Base of elytra distinctly wider than pronotum. Humeri distinctly protruding anterad, subangulate. Disc in profile gently convex, with top of convexity in postscutellar area ( fig. 125 ), without postscutellar and principal impressions but with well marked H–shaped elevation. Punctation of disc regular, coarse and dense, punctures in rows almost touching each other, yellow spots of disc impunctate and slightly elevated. Punctures on slope as dense as on other parts of disc. Marginal row distinct, its punctures slightly coarser than in submarginal row. Intervals very narrow, linear, mostly narrower than rows, interval 2 behind H–shaped elevation and interval 4 in the middle elevated to form obtuse costa, rest of surface appears regular except slightly elevated yellow spots. Marginal interval distinct, 1.5–2.0 times wider than submarginal interval, without humeral but with lateral fold. Explanate margin of elytra moderately declivous, broad, in the widest part approximately three times narrower than disc, its surface shallowly, densely punctate, appears distinctly irregular.

Head broad, eyes large, gena very short. Clypeus narrrow, approximately 1.2 times as long as wide, with distinct clypeal lines converging in regular triangle, surface of clypeus flat or only apically with small shallow impression, shiny, impunctate. Labrum shallowly emarginate. Antennae slim, segments 8–10 distinctly longer than wide. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:71:83:83:83:50:71:50:50:54:108, segment 3 approximately 1.2 times as long as segment 2, and as long as segment 4.

Prosternal process moderately broad, strongly expanded apically with deep lateral sulci, area between coxa convex, shiny, expanded apex with several moderately coarse, hairy punctures.

Claws with large basal tooth.

Distribution. North–western Cameroon ( fig. 6 ).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida lacrymosa species–group, belongs to the complex of species with predominantly black pronotal and elytral discs. Only the dark form of C. depicta appears similar ( fig. 131 ) but differs in slightly less rounded pronotal sides, usually larger size with length often above 4.5 mm (although the smallest specimens of C. depicta are similar in size to C. bamendana ) and last elytral interval often partly black. At first glance also C. flavosignata appears similar but differs in stouter body with L/W ratio 1.13–1.18 (in C. bamendana 1.23–1.26), marginal interval partly black (completely yellow), metasternum and abdomen yellow (mostly black) and claws with small basal tooth (large tooth).

Types examined. Holotype [ CAMEROON]: Bamenda, 13.12.55, Exped. Mus. G. Frey, Nigeria–Kamerun, Bechyne, 1955.56 ( NHB); two paratypes: the same data as holotype ( NHB, MNHW).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Distribution of Cassida callosicollis (black circles), Cassida bamendana (black squares) and Cassida benaadirensis (black diamond).

FIGURES 124–125. Cassida bamendana. FIGURES 126–127. Cassida depicta. 124, 126. Dorsal; 125, 127. Lateral.

FIGURES 128–132. Cassida depicta. 128–129, 131–132. Dorsal; 130. Lateral.