Caledonispa Uhmann, 1952

Borowiec, Lech, Świętojańska, Jolanta & Sekerka, Lukáš, 2019, Revision of the tribe Cryptonychini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) of New Caledonia, Zootaxa 4690 (1), pp. 1-71 : 13

Genus Caledonispa Uhmann , 195 2

Caledonispa Uhmann, 1952: 82 (original description); Gressitt 1957: 228 (noted), 1960a: 24 (noted), 1960b: 107 (key to species, biology, host plants), 1961: 79 (noted); Uhmann 1958: 206 (catalogue), 1964: 452 (catalogue); Würmli 1975: 35 (diagnostic redescription); Seeno & Wilcox 1982: 163 (catalogue); Jolivet 1989: 310 (host plants); Jolivet & Hawkeswood 1995: 152 (host plants); Jolivet & Verma 2009: 218 (faunal list).

Type species. Brontispa sarasini Heller, 1916 by original designation.

Description. Moderately large beetles, body length 9.5–14.8 mm. Antennae 11-segmented. Body moderately stout and elongate, 2.5–3.4 × as long as wide. Head from 1.5 × as wide as long to slightly longer than wide, interocular plate rectangular, flat or only slightly convex, not separated from vertex by sulcus or deep impression. Interantennal process from short to long, in males sometimes extending to ⅓ length of antennomere III. Frontoclypeus from slightly wider than long to at most 1.3 × as long as wide, anterior corners with tubercles, surface with punctures, sulci and usually with median keel, and several long, sparse hairs. Prosternum without projecting prosternal collar, prosternal process between coxae narrow not wider than half width of coxa, finely and sparsely punctate, occasionally impressed on expanded apex. Pronotum rectangular in outline, with sharp lateral carina, without lateral tubercles but anterior corners slightly projecting. Punctation of pronotal disc mostly coarse and dense, interspaces mostly narrower than puncture diameter. Elytra with short scutellar row of punctures, 7–10 rows in humeral part, 10 rows behind middle and 12 rows apically but sometimes rows in apical ⅓ length diffused due secondary punctation. At least one interval costate, often two or three. Thorax and abdomen shiny but thorax usually with punctures laterally and longitudinal or oblique striation, especially on convex part of metaventrite. Legs stout. Sexual dimorphism manifested in length of interantennal process, special structure of fore and mid legs, and shape of abdominal ventrite V.

Range. Five species endemic to New Caledonia.