Chiridopsis parellina Spaeth, 1937

Świ, Jolanta, 2017, A monograph of the Afrotropical Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Part 4. Revision of the genus Chiridopsis Spaeth, Zootaxa 4316 (1), pp. 1-85 : 48-49

Chiridopsis parellina Spaeth, 1937

( figs 14 , 107, 108 )

Chiridopsis parellina Spaeth, 1937: 200 ; Borowiec, 1999: 301.

Description. Le: 4.90–5.60 mm, Wi: 3.80–4.20 mm, Lp: 2.00– 2.20 mm, Wp: 2.90–3.25 mm, Le/Wi: 1.29–1.37, Wp/Lp: 1.43–1.60. Body slightly cylindrical.

Dorsum uniformly yellow ( figs 107, 108 ). Head yellow. Thorax black, abdomen black, broadly surrounded by yellow. Coxa from yellowish to brown, rest of legs yellow. Antennae uniformly yellow or last antennal segment partly infuscate.

Pronotum irregularly elliptical ( fig. 107 ), with maximum width slightly in front of the middle, anterior margin softly convex, sides moderately rounded, no basal corners. Surface of disc slightly alutaceous. Explanate margin broad, impunctate, shiny, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure.

Base of elytra moderately to much wider than base of pronotum ( fig. 107 ), humeral angles distinctly protruding anterad, subrounded. Disc regularly convex in profile with top of convexity in the mid length, without impressions ( fig. 108 ). Punctation very fine, on sides slightly coarser than on top of disc, arranged in regular rows, mostly sparse, distance between punctures from two to five times wider than puncture diameter. Marginal row distinct, its punctures distinctly coarser than punctures in central rows. Intervals flat, from slightly alutaceous to shiny, on top of disc four to six, on sides three to four times wider than rows, marginal interval 2.5 times wider than submarginal one, no humeral or lateral folds. Explanate margin very narrow, strongly declivous, almost perpendicular to abdominal surface, in the widest part 7.0–7.5 times narrower than disc, surface with very shallow, sparse punctures or impunctate, appears regular, shiny, semitransparent to transparent with more or less visible honeycomb structure.

Eyes very large, gena obsolete. Clypeus broad, 1.4–1.5 times as wide as long. Clypeal grooves deep, run mostly parallel to inner margin of eye then converging in triangle, surface of clypeus flat or only slightly convex, microreticulate but shiny with few very small, setose punctures. Labrum minutely emarginate to 1/7 length. Antennae stout, segments 9–10 only slightly longer than wide. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:53:70:70:50:50:57:47:57:53:117. Segment 3 approximately 1.3 times as long as segment 2 and approximately as long as segment 4.

Prosternum broad in the middle, only slightly expanded apically, area between coxae flat but usually with thin median groove, surface with few oblique short grooves but shiny, with few small punctures, expanded apex flat, shiny, with few irregular impressed lines and few very small setose punctures.

Claws with small basal tooth, last segment of tarsi with projecting dentiform flanks thus claws appear strongly dentate.

Distribution. Kenya and Tanzania ( fig. 14 ).

Remarks. Chiridopsis parellina belongs to the group of species with completely yellow dorsum and mostly or completely yellow clypeus. The group comprises also Ch. convexula and forms of Ch. flavipennis with partly yellow clypeal triangle ( figs 27, 28 , 111, 112 ). Chiridopsis flavipennis distinctly differs in moderately declivous explanate margins and short-oval body with length/width ratio approximately 1.24, while Ch. convexula has body elongate oval with strongly declivous explanate margins and length/width ratio above 1.28. Chiridopsis convexula differs in elytral rows of punctures tending to form pairs (1+2, 3+4, 5+6, 7+8), interval 2 and 4 distinctly wider than intervals 1 and 3, punctures in lateral rows dense with distance between punctures mostly as wide as puncture diameter and body slimmer with length/width ratio 1.45–1.48, while in Ch. parellina elytral rows of punctures are spread regularly over elytral surface with interval 2 only slightly wider than interval 1, and intervals 3 and 4 equal in width, punctures in lateral rows are sparse with distances between punctures mostly twice wider than puncture dimeter and body is stouter with length/width ratio 1.29–1.33. In Ch. convexula clypeus usually has infuscate basal corners or whole basal margin and dorsal surface is shiny, while in Ch. parellina clypeus is always completely yellow and dorsal surface slightly alutaceous.

Types examined. 3 syntypes: [ KENYA] Maragua (MM, MRAC).

Other specimens examined. KENYA: Lamu, 2 ( ZMHU) ; Mulango, Kitwi , 7 ( ZMHU, DBET) ; Sansibar, Kitui, 31, Hildebrandt ( ZMHU, DBET) .

TANZANIA: Kilossa , 21 IV 1915, 2, Loveridge ( MCZC).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Distribution of Chiridopsis opposita (black circles) and Chiridopsis parellina (white circles).

FIGURES 107 – 114. Chiridopsis parellina. 107. Dorsal, 108. Lateral, 109 – 110. Chiridopsis regionalis. 109. Dorsal, 110. Lateral; 111 – 112. Chiridopsis flavipennis. 111. Dorsal, 112. Lateral; 113 – 114. Chiridopsis zambiana. 113. Dorsal, 114. Lateral.

FIGURES 24 – 30. Chiridopsis aequinoctialis. 24. Male dorsal, 25. Female dorsal, 26. Female lateral; 27 – 28. Chiridopsis convexula. 27. Dorsal, 28. Lateral, 29 – 30. Chiridopsis ruandana. 29. Dorsal, 30. Lateral.