Pseudostilpnaspis Borowiec, 2000

Sekerka, Lukáš, 2014, Review of Imatidiini genera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 (1), pp. 257-314 : 288-289

Pseudostilpnaspis Borowiec, 2000

( Fig. 17 )

Pseudostilpnaspis Borowiec, 2000: 162 . Type species: Stilpnaspis columbica Weise, 1910 by original designation.

Distinguishing characters. Pseudostilpnaspis species can be recognized by the semicircular pronotum, interantennal area broad and convex, and without a carina, the regularly convex pronotum, and the thick antennae ( Fig. 17 ). General body shape is reminiscent of Demotispa , Windsorispa gen. nov., and Pseudimatidium . The last one differs in having a sharp interantennal carina. Windsorispa differs in the narrow pronotum, depressed elytra, and serrate lateroapical margins of the elytra, while Pseudostilpnaspis has a broad pronotum and smooth elytral margins (with the exception of the tentatively included species P. curvipes ( Uhmann, 1951)) . Demotispa differs in the long and ¿liform antennae with the basal two antennomeres elongate (moderately long, thick, and with two globular basal antennomeres in Pseudostilpnaspis ) and the broadly oval body with broad explanate margins, while Pseudostilpnaspis has an elongate body with narrow explanate margins.

Species transferred to Pseudostilpnaspis . STAINES (2009) transferred Cephaloleia lata Baly, 1885 to Demotispa without further comments. I have examined the type series of C. lata and found that it actually belongs to Pseudostilpnaspis because it has the two basal antennomeres globular, the interantennal area without a carina but convex, and the pronotum with slightly canaliculate explanate margins.

Number of species. 5 (present paper).

Key to species. A key to species has yet to be provided.

Biology. One species, P. lata , was recorded feeding on two Chamaedorea species (Arecaceae) ( MCKENNA & FARRELL 2005, MESKINS et al. 2008). Although, both records are quite likely misidenti¿ed and belong to different Pseudostilpnaspis species , the association with palms is correct as we collected several species on Arecaceae , mainly Chamaedorea species (Windsor & Sekerka, unpubl. data).

Distribution. Belize to Colombia.

Figures

Figs 12–24. Dorsal habitus. 18 – Katkispa insignis (Pic, 1934), syntype, Venezuela: Colonia Tovar; 13 – Weiseispa angusticollis (Weise, 1893), Ecuador: Río Palenque; 14 – Demotispa pulchella Baly, 1858, lectotype, Peru; 15 – Demotispa rubiginosa (Boheman, 1862), Panama: Chiriquí; 16 – Parimatidium rubrum (Boheman, 1850), French Guyana:St. Laurent du Maroni;17 – Pseudostilpnaspis lata (Baly, 1885), Panama:Santa Clara; 18 – Pseudimatidium elaeicola Aslam, 1966, Colombia: Calima area; 19 – Windsorispa latifrons (Weise, 1910), Colombia: SantoAntonio; 20 – Cephaloleia Àavipennis Baly, 1869, Ecuador: Río Hollín; 21 – Melanispa sp., Guadeloupe; 22 – Parentispa formosa (Staines, 1996), Panama: La Fortuna; 23 – Stenispa attenuata Baly, 1875, Panama: Gamboa; 24 – Lechispa parallela (Pic, 1930), syntype, Argentina: Rosas. All scale bars = 2.5 mm.