Katkispa, Sekerka, 2014

Sekerka, Lukáš, 2014, Review of Imatidiini genera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 (1), pp. 257-314 : 282-283

Katkispa gen. nov.

( Figs 12 , 30 )

Type species. Euxema elongata Pic, 1934 , here designated.

Description. Body elongate oval, parallel-sided, 2.5 times longer than wide. Length 4 mm. Body reddish brown with amber pronotum and metallic blue-grey elytra ( Fig. 12 ).

Mouthparts prognathous, with labrum and maxillary palps slightly projecting forwards and slightly visible from above ( Fig. 30 ). Labrum large, as broad as mouth cavity, slightly convex and semicircular, mostly covering mandibulae. Maxillary palps as long as two basal antennomeres. Labial palp half length of maxillary. Clypeus very short, transverse, without carina. Antennal area impressed without interantennal carina. Antennae 11-segmented, strangulate, twice longer than pronotal base, two basal antennomeres shiny, ¿rst globular, second transverse. Length ratio of antennomeres: 100: 363: 418: 357: 392: 297: 327: 327: 339: 301: 506, ¿rst antennomere extremely short, second 3.6 times and third 4.2 times longer than ¿rst. Eyes moderately large, gena well visible. Vertex sparsely but coarsely punctate. Head as wide as long and not constricted behind eyes but gradually narrowing.

Pronotum approximately as wide as long, subrectangular, subparallel-sided, widest in basal third, and narrower than base of elytra.Anterior margin smooth, convex and moderately projecting forwards and with small tubercle possessing seta on each side at inner eye margin. Anterior corners rounded, serrate and not projecting forwards. Basal corners sharp and projecting in small denticle. Lateral margins serrate, only slightly explanate, moderately swollen, and distinctly separated from disc. Basal margin strongly projecting towards scutellum. Disc regularly convex, micro-reticulate, sparsely but coarsely punctate, punctures gradually denser towards basal corners, shiny but not polished.

Scutellum long, subpentagonal, smooth, micro-reticulate, and impunctate.

Elytra about 1.8 times longer than wide, elongate, parallel-sided, weakly and regularly convex, disc flat, with ten rows of punctures plus scutellar row. Base of elytra smooth, sinuate, distinctly wider than base of pronotum. Humeral angles rounded and not protruding. Humeral calli slightly convex, impunctate and micro-reticulate. Punctation completely regular. Punctures moderately large, foveolate. Intervals broad, about 2–3 times wider than puncture diameter, smooth and micro-reticulate. Punctures disposed regularly and densely in rows with interspaces approximately as wide as puncture diameter. Marginal row distinct in whole length, regular. Elytral margin only slightly explanate, almost perpendicular. Its outer margin subhorizontal, swollen, and minutely serrate in whole length. Each denticle possessing small seta on tip. Apex of elytra conjointly rounded. Epipleura flat, micro-sculptured and sparsely pubescent, gradually narrowing towards apex.

Prosternal process moderately broad with truncate and not projecting apex. Its surface smooth and micro-sculptured. Whole surface of thorax and abdomen micro-sculptured and densely setose, abdomen also densely punctate. Abdominal sterna I and II fused with slightly marked suture laterally. Pygidium elliptical, coarsely punctate and its apical margin densely pubescent.

Legs normal, all pairs equal. Tarsal claws broadly divergent, simple.

Differential diagnosis. Katkispa gen. nov. is placed in a group of genera characterized by having prognathous and slightly projecting mouthparts, a subquadratic pronotum, and serrate lateroapical margins of the elytra. It also has the pronotum without protruding corners and an extremely short ¿rst antennomere like Xanthispa and Cyclantispa gen. nov., but the two latter differ in having strongly projecting mouthparts and a transverse pronotum, while Katkispa has the pronotum almost as wide as long. The other similar genera, with serrate lateroapical margins of the elytra and parallel-sided pronota, are Xenispa and Euxema . Both differ from Katkispa in having much longer antennae, a transverse pronotum, which is strongly expanded anteriorly in Euxema and deeply emarginate in Xenispa .

Etymology. This genus is dedicated to my girlfriend Katka Štajerová for her support and patience with my beetle studies, and the name is derived from her ¿rst name and generic name ‘ Hispa ’; gender is feminine.

Remarks. The genus is proposed for Euxema elongata which was assigned to the genus Euxema by PIC (1934a) on the basis of the convex and protruding anterior margin of the pronotum. However, the species has a very different shape of the pronotum and body from E. insignis (i.e. type species of Euxema ) as well as from all other Imatidiini and thus requires a separate genus.

Biology. Nothing is known about biology of this species.

Number of species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Venezuela: Aragua ( PIC 1934a).

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.

Figs 29–34. Ventral aspects of head. 29 – Cyclantispa gracilis (Baly, 1885); 30 – Katkispa insignis (Pic, 1934); 31 – Windsorispa latifrons (Weise, 1910); 32 – Weiseispa angusticollis (Weise, 1893); 33 – Parentispa formosa (Staines, 1996); 34 – Lechispa parallela (Pic, 1930). Scale bars = 0.5 mm.