Teretrispa orchidaceae Gressitt, 1960

Borowiec, Lech, Świętojańska, Jolanta & Sekerka, Lukáš, 2019, Revision of the tribe Cryptonychini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) of New Caledonia, Zootaxa 4690 (1), pp. 1-71 : 53-55

Teretrispa orchidaceae Gressitt, 1960

(Figs 182–185, 234)

Teretrispa orchidaceae Gressitt, 1960b: 120 (original description); Uhmann 1964: 455 (catalogue).

Type locality. New Caledonia, Montagne des Sources .

Remarks. We had chance to study the holotype of T. orchideaceae only once several years ago while one of us (LS) was visiting MNHN collections. Unfortunately due to restrictions, loans of type material from MNHN are currently not permitted, therefore we repeat bellow the original description from Gressitt (1960b). Dr.Antoine Mantilleri, curator in MNHN, kindly took and provided us photographs of the holotype.

Diagnosis. Teretrispa orchidaceae differs from both, T. dacordii sp. nov. and T. gahniae in having a single row of punctures between 3rd and 5th interval on basal half of elytra while the two other species have two regular rows of punctures between 3rd and 5th interval in whole length.

Original description, additional information in square brackets. ‘Shiny black, elytron with 2 complete orange yellow stripes [Fig. 182], one on interspace 2 and the other on external margin, and sutural margin briefly orange at extreme apex; distal antennal segments appearing golden brown because of pubescence; a small brownish spot near side of each abdominal sternite. Body glabrous except for whitish hairs on frontoclypeus, short golden brown pubescence on distal antennal segments and golden orange pubescence on tarsal pads and apices of tibiae.

Head about as long as broad, as wide at eyes as at neck [Fig. 183]; central portion suboblong, broader than long, very slightly narrowed anteriorly, with a median groove which is very deep at anterior margin, and surface convex in center and entirely coarsely rugose punctate; interantennal process 1/2 as long as scape, rather stout, slightly rounded apically and medially concave above; frontoclypeus as broad as long, emarginate basally and subacute apically, with surface somewhat uneven and granulose-punctate [Fig. 184]. Antenna 1/3 as long as body, slightly compressed and widened apically; scape large, 1/3 again as long as broad; segment 2 much smaller, slightly longer than broad; 3rd 1.5× as long as 2; 4 slightly shorter than 3; 5 barely longer than 4 and 6; 7 slightly longer than 3, stouter apically; 7 not quite as long as 6 and stouter basally; 9 slightly larger than 8; 10 slightly longer than 9; last 1/4 longer than 10, blunt apically. Prothorax nearly as long as broad, subparallel-sided, slightly constricted near middle, with anterolateral angle obtuse and fairly distinct; anterior margin strongly convex; basal margin distinctly sinuate, projecting in center; basal angle slightly constricted and bearing a minute acute tooth; disc somewhat uneven, shiny, somewhat raised near anterior margin, with large irregularly spaced punctures, which are lacking on much of apical and central portions as well as near base, anterior to basal margin between middle and side, and near anterolateral process. Scutellum fairly broad, wider at middle than at base, rounded-obtuse apically. Elytron just over 1/5 as broad as long, subparallel anteriorly and distinctly broadened from anterior to middle and widest somewhat behind middle, then narrowed and briefly emarginate-truncate apically; disc with large subequal punctures in 7 rows on humerus, 6 rows after basal 1/6, 7 rows after middle, and 8 or 9 rows behind middle and with interspace 2 very broad and strongly swollen, other interspaces slightly raised posteriorly, interspaces 3 and 4 somewhat raised from base onward. Ventral surfaces shiny and minutely punctured, a few larger punctures at side of thorax and some depressions at sides of abdominal sternites; sternite 5 large, feebly emarginate apically and pubescent near apex. Legs stout; hind femur reaching to middle of sternite 2; hind tarsus with segment 3 slightly longer than 1 or 2. Length 8.6 mm; breadth 2.5’ ( Gressitt 1960b).

Host plant. Wild orchid ( Gressitt 1960b).

Type material examined. Holotype: ‘NOUVELLE | CALEDONIE [w, p, cb] || N. Calédonie | Mt. des Sources | sur Orchidée | 13.3.57 F. Cohic [w, hw, cb] || HOLOTYPE | TERETRIS. [hw] | ORCHIDACEAE [hw] | J.L.Gressitt [r, p, cb] || TERETRISPA [hw] | ORCHIDACEAE [hw] | GR. [hw] | J.L. Gressitt det. [p]60[hw] [w, p, cb] || MUSÉUM PARIS | Collection | Genéralle [pink, p, cb] || MNHN | EC9073 [w, p, cb]’ ( MNHN) .