Cassida franklinmuelleri Spaeth, 1925

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 : 69

Cassida franklinmuelleri Spaeth, 1925

( figs. 17 , 269–270)

Cassida Franklin–Mülleri Spaeth, 1925 b: 55 , 1928: 10; Borowiec, 1999: 252, 2005: 126.

Description. L: 5.20–5.75 mm, W: 3.70–4.50 mm, Lp: 1.75–2.05 mm, Wp: 3.00–3.50 mm, L/W: 1.28–1.41, Wp/ Lp: 1.68–1.71. Body oval, regularly converging posterad, males slightly stouter than females (fig. 269).

Body uniformly yellow, including head, ventrites, legs and antennae, some dry specimens preserve life green colour, especially on elytra (figs. 269, 270).

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width in the middle, anterior margin regularly convex, sides broadly rounded, no basal corners. Disc almost flat, indistinctly bordered from explanate margin. Entire surface of disc with moderately coarse punctation and dense wrinkles, appears irregular. Explanate margin broad, with shallow, coarse and dense punctation and with irregular interspaces, semitransparent with more or less well visible honeycomb structure.

Base of elytra slightly to moderately wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anterad, rounded. Disc regularly convex in profile (fig. 270), with shallow postsutellar and principal impressions, without or with indistinct H–shaped postscutellar elevation with short branches. Punctation coarse and dense, on most parts of elytra appears irregular, only along suture and margin of disc punctures tend to form more or less regular rows, distance between punctures mostly narrower or as wide as puncture diameter. Marginal row distinct, its punctures as coarse as or slightly coarser than punctures in central rows. Intervals mostly not marked, only second and fourth interval linear but marginal interval distinct, broad, in humeral part as wides as two rows and one interval combined, no humeral or lateral folds. Explanate margin narrow, strongly declivous, in the widest part five times narrower than disc, surface coarsely, densely, irregular punctate, appears rugose, semitransparent with more or less visible honeycomb structure.

Eyes very large, gena obsolete. Clypeus very broad, approximately 1.4 times as wide as long. Clypeal grooves fine but well marked, converging in angle, surface of clypeus flat, shiny, with few very small, setose punctures. Labrum narrowly emarginate to 1/5 length. Antennae stout, segments 9–10 slightly transverse. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:56:69:66:63:50:53:50:50:53:94. Segment 3 approximately 1.2 times as long as segment 2 and only slightly longer than segment 4.

Prosternum broad in the middle, strongly expanded apically, area between coxa flat or only slightly impressed, shiny, without special sculpture, expanded apex flat, shiny, with several moderate, setose punctures.

Claws with large basal tooth.

Distribution. South Africa and Zimbabwe ( fig. 17 ).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida viridipennis species–group. It belongs to the complex of species with punctation of elytral disc in large part irregular. The complex comprises also C. kantnerorum and C. sublesta . Both relatives differ in the elytral disc less regularly convex with well marked postscutellar angulation ( figs. 268 , 278 ) while in C. franklinmuelleri the elytral disc in profile forms a regular arch (fig. 270). Cassida sublesta differs also in a distinctly stouter body with L/W ratio 1.23–1.29 (1.28–1.41 in C. franklinmuelleri ) and explanate margin of elytra slightly broader and less declivous ( figs. 266, 267 ). Cassida kantnerorum looks very similar but except the irregular elytral convexity differs also in a slightly broader explanate margin of elytra, especially in posterior third

Types examined. Syntype:[ SOUTH AFRICA]: Transvaal , ( MM); two syntypes: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: Transvaal, Fruhstorfer ( DEI) ; syntype: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: Transvaal , Lydenburg ( MM); two syntypes: [ ZIMBABWE]: Hope Fontain, 5 I 1922, N. Jones ( BMNH) .

Other specimens examined. SOUTH AFRICA: Mpumalanga, 30 km NE Lydenburg N.P., 22–25 XI 2003, 1, Halada ( MS) ; Transvaal, Johannesburg, Bedford ridge, 8 II 1950, 2, 8 XI 1953, 1, A.L. Capener ( MNHW) ; Transvaal, Lydenburg , 3, F. Wilms ( ZMHU, MNHW) ; Transvaal , 1, ex coll. Fruhstorfer ( ZMHU) ; [ ZIMBABWE]: Salisbury , Mashonaland, G.A.K. Marshall ( MNHW) .

Figures

FIGURE 17. Distribution of Cassida eluta (black circles), Cassida franklinmuelleri (black diamonds) and Cassida fuscosignata (black square).

FIGURES 266–268. Cassida sublesta. 269–270. Cassida franklinmuelleri. 266–267, 269. Dorsal; 268, 270. Lateral.

FIGURES 276–278. Cassida kantnerorum. 279–281. Cassida mashonensis. 276–277, 269. Dorsal; 279–280, 278, 281. Lateral.