Cassida stipidosa, 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 : 152-154

Cassida stipidosa sp. nov.

( figs. 44 , 202–203)

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6A532B43-1A20-49FE-B0B9-59E8F188C9DE

Etymology. The name „ stipidosa ” was proposed by Franz Spaeth in his unpublished key to the African members of the genus Cassida and such labelled specimens are preserved in Manchester Museum and now represent type series.

Description. L: 4.10–4.40 mm, W: 3.30–3.40 mm, Lp: 1.50–1.55 mm, Wp: 2.65–2.75 mm, L/W: 1.24–1.29, Wp/Lp: 1.74–1.77. Body almost circular (fig. 202).

Pronotum yellow, in front of scutellum with small, indistinct, brown V–shaped spot. Scutellum yellow, elytral disc yellow, most punctures with black centre and with narrow black areola then black partly coalescent and form more or less developed reticulation, top of postscutellar elevation without brown spot. Explanate margin always yellow (figs. 202, 203. Head yellow with infuscate basal corners and often brown sides, thorax black, abdomen in holotype completely yellow, in paratypes black broadly surrounded by yellow. Coxa black, rest of legs yellow. Antennal uniformly yellow.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width in the middle, anterior margin regularly convex, sides broadly rounded, no basal corners. Disc indistinctly bordered from explanate margin except short lateral impressions, area above head slightly impressed. Surface of disc shiny, with very fine and sparse punctation. Distance between punctures several times wider than puncture diameter, interspaces regular. Explanate margin broad, impunctate, shiny, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure.

Base of elytra moderately to much wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anterad, subrounded to subangulate. Disc depressed in profile (fig. 203), with shallow postscutellar and principal impressions, and low and obtuse H–shaped elevation, yellow parts of disc more or less elevated form more or less developed pale relief. Punctation coarse but sparse, tend to form regular rows but the regularity completely disturbed by pale relief thus punctation appears irregular, only two submarginal rows behind humerus on short distance regular, distance between punctures varies from smaller to five times larger than puncture diameter. Marginal row distinct, its punctures not coarser than punctures in central rows. Intervals mostly not marked except marginal interval which is narrow, as wide as submarginal interval and submarginal row combined, with short but distinct humeral and broad lateral folds. Explanate margin moderately broad, moderately declivous, in the widest part four times narrower than disc, surface shiny with shallow, moderately coarse but dense punctation, appears irregular, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure.

Eyes very large, gena obsolete. Clypeus narrow, approximately as long as wide. Clypeal grooves fine but well marked, converging in regular triangle, surface of clypeus with shallow apical impression, surface shiny with several very small, setose punctures. Labrum narrowly emarginate to 1/5 length. Antennae stout, segments 9–10 slightly transverse. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:57:68:68:61:50:54:43:46:50:120. Segment 3 approximately 1.2 times as long as segment 2 and as long as segment 4.

Prosternum moderately broad in the middle, strongly expanded apically, area between coxa deeply canaliculate along sides, central part slightly convex with few moderately coarse, setose punctures, expanded apex convex centrally, impressed apically with several coarse, setose punctures, surface appears irregular to rugose.

Claws with large basal tooth.

Distribution. Ethiopia ( fig. 44 ).

Remarks. At first glance Cassida stipidosa is very similar to C. successiva . Both species have similar size, sculpture and colouration with black areolate punctures forming more or less thin black reticulation. Cassida stipidosa differs in a slightly coarser but sparser punctation appearing completely irregular while in C. successiva at least on the sides of the disc the punctation forms, on long distance, regular rows.

Type examined. Holotype: [ ETHIOPIA]: Harrar /Abess. // TYPE // Typus / stipidosa / Spaeth det. // Manchester Museum / SYNTYPE ( MM); two paratypes [ ETHIOPIA]: Harrar / Abessyn. // stipidosa / m. cotyp / Spaeth det. // Cotypus / Manchester Museum / SYNTYPE ( MNHW, ( MM)

Figures

FIGURE 44. Distribution of Cassida stipidosa (black diamond), Cassida successiva (black circles) and Cassida villiersi (black squares).