Cassida diversepunctata Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001

Borowiec, Lech & Świętojańska, Jolanta, 2022, A monograph of the Afrotropical Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Part 6. Revision of the tribe Cassidini 3, the genus Cassida L., Zootaxa 5171 (1), pp. 1-250 : 57-58

Cassida diversepunctata Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001

(figs. 9, 315–316)

Cassida sp. 3 : Kleinjan & Scott, 1996: 103.

Cassida diversepunctata Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001: 157 .

Description. L: 5.90–6.80 mm, W: 4.90–5.50 mm, Lp: 2.00–2.30 mm, Wp: 3.70–4.20 mm, L/W: 1.20–1.25, Wp/ Lp: 1.83–1.85. Body short–oval (fig. 315).

Body uniformly yellow, including ventrites, legs and antennal segments 1–7, last four antennal segment infuscate to dark brown. Sometimes pronotum yellow and elytra yellowish green (figs. 315, 316)

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width slightly in front of the middle, sides quite rounded. Disc moderately convex, indistinctly bordered from explanate margin. Surface of disc finely, shallowly and sparsely punctate, much finer than those of elytral disc. Area above head mostly impunctate. Surface between punctures regular. Explanate margin of pronotum impunctate, surface between punctures regular, subtransparent with more or less visible honeycomb structure.

Base of elytra wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles distinctly protruding anterad, subangulate. Disc moderately, regularly convex in profile, without impressions and sculpture (fig. 316). Punctation moderate and sparse, distance between punctures mostly as wide as or slightly wider than puncture diameter, surface of disc appears regular. Explanate margin broad, in widest part slightly more than three times narrower than disc, moderately declivous, punctate, punctures from slightly to twice coarser but slightly sparser than on disc, surface subtransparent with more or less visible honeycomb structure.

Eyes large, gena short, distance between under margin of eye and lateral angle of labrum more than twice shorter than eye length. Clypeus very broad, approximately 1.4 times as wide as long, clypeal grooves deep, converging in more or less regular triangle, sides of the triangle usually slightly concave, clypeal plate slightly to moderately impressed, shiny, with very small, sparse, setose punctures. Labrum shallowly emarginate. Antennae slightly elongate, segments 9–10 slightly longer than wide. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:60:62:63:64:64:70:66:66:73:133. Segment 3 approximately as long as segments 2 and 4.

Prosternum narrow in the middle, strongly expanded apically, area between coxae deeply impressed, shiny, with few setose punctures, expanded apex slightly convex medially, sides impressed, shiny with few small setose punctures.

Claws with moderate basal tooth.

Host plant. Asteraceae : Chrysanthemoides monilifera rotundata (L.) Norlindh ( Kleinjan & Scott 1996, Borowiec & Świętojańska 2001).

Distribution. South Africa: E Cape (fig. 9).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida litigiosa species–group. It is one of the largest species in the group, well characterized by extremely fine and sparse punctation of the pronotal disc in relation to quite coarse punctation of the elytral disc (fig. 315). Cassida foveolatipennis differs in extremely coarse elytral and moderately coarse pronotal punctation ( fig. 331 ). Cassida chrysanthemoides at first glance appears very similar but differs in slightly finer elytral punctation, elytral disc less regularly convex ( figs. 313, 314 ) and smaller size with length 4.70–5.50 mm.

Types examined. Holotype and two paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: Cape, East London, Marine Drive , 33.04 S 27.51 E, 1 III 1990, Scott & Kleinjan ( NIC, MNHW).

Figures

FIGURES 331–332. Cassida foveolatipennis. 333–335. Cassida pudens. 331, 333–334. Dorsal; 332, 335. Lateral.

FIGURES 313–314. Cassida chrysanthemoides. 315–316. Cassida diversepunctata. 313, 315. Dorsal; 314, 316. Lateral.