Cassida benaadirensis, Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2022

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 : 35

Cassida benaadirensis sp. nov.

( figs. 6 , 262–263 )

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:59602F31-CFE0-4975-A934-079D354F3008

Etymology. Named after Benaadir distr. in Somalia which includes the city of Mogadishu, the type locality of this species.

Description. L: 5.10–5.40 mm, W: 3.90–4.25 mm, Lp: 2.00 mm, Wp: 3.30–3.40 mm, L/W: 1.27–1.31, Wp/Lp: 1.65–1.70. Body short–oval ( fig. 262 ).

Entire body including legs and antennae yellow ( figs. 262, 263 ).

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width slightly before middle, sides broadly angulate, no basal corners. Disc moderately convex, indistinctly bordered from explanate margin, with indistinctly separated area above head. Surface of disc shiny with very small, sparse punctures. Explanate margin broad, impunctate, surface regular to slightly irregular, slightly alutaceous to shiny, transparent with honeycomb structure.

Scutellum triangular, without punctures, rows or wrinkles. Base of elytra slightly wider than base of pronotum. Humeri distinctly protruding anterad, angulate. Disc in profile distinctly strongly convex with top of convexity at postscutellar point ( fig. 263 ), H–shaped elevation in holotype low but well visible, whereas in paratype hardly marked in form of short, low transverse fold. Punctation of disc completely regular, coarse, dense, distance between punctures in rows mostly narrower than puncture diameter. Punctures on slope as dense as on other parts of disc. Marginal row distinct, its punctures as coarse as in submarginal row. Intervals on top of disc very narrow, linear, on sides as wide as rows, flat or slightly convex, smooth, shiny, surface of elytra appears regular. Marginal interval distinct, approximately as wide as submarginal interval and two submarginal rows combined, without humeral and lateral folds. Explanate margin of elytra moderately declivous, broad, at the widest part approximately 3.1 times narrower than disc, its surface shallowly, densely punctate, appears distinctly irregular.

Head broad, eyes large, gena very short. Clypeus broad, approximately 1.7 times as wide as long, with fine clypeal lines converging in obtuse angle, surface of clypeus flat, shiny, without setose punctures. Labrum emarginate to 1/3–1/2 length. Antennae slim, segments 8–10 distinctly longer than wide. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:60:67:63:60:40:60:50:60:60:100, segment 3 approximately 1.1 times as long as segment 2, and only slightly longer segment 4.

Prosternal process moderately broad, strongly expanded apically, area between coxa flat, smooth and shiny, rhomboidal apex flat in the middle, with 2–3 small hairy punctures, posterior margin close, with row of small, setose punctures.

Claws with basal tooth.

Distribution. Ethiopia and Somalia ( fig. 6 ).

Remarks. Uniformly yellow colouration, small size, strongly convex elytra, coarse, completely regular elytral punctation place this distinct species close to immaculate forms of species of the Cassida turcmenica group. Both C. pellegrini and C. rothschildi differ in size below 5 mm, pronotum with maximum width in the middle, punctation of elytra slightly finer and intervals slightly broader than in C. benaadirensis ( figs. 232 , 234), antennae shorter with antennomeres 9–20 distinctly wider than long (slightly longer than wide in C. benaadirensis ), and longer clypeus 1.3–1.4 times as wide as long (1.7 times in C. benaadirensis ). At fist glance, Cassida capensis from South Africa looks similar to C. benaadirensis but differs in distinctly angulate pronotal sides, higher H–shaped postsutellar elevation, mostly black ventrites and simple claws ( fig. 287 ).

Type examined. Holotype: [ SOMALIA]: Somalia, Mogadiscio env., Marz 1974 leg.? ( MNHW); paratype: [ ETHIOPIA] ETHIOPIA South, 20 km SE of Konso, 05°15’N 37°32’E, 850 m, 11–13 V + 18–20 V 2015, A. Kudrna jr lgt. ( LS).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Distribution of Cassida callosicollis (black circles), Cassida bamendana (black squares) and Cassida benaadirensis (black diamond).

FIGURES 262–263. Cassida benaadirensis. 264–265. Cassida sulphurea. 262, 264. Dorsal; 263, 265. Lateral.

FIGURES 232–233. Cassida pellegrini. 234–235. Cassida rothschildi. 232, 234. Dorsal; 233, 235. Lateral.

FIGURES 287–288. Cassida capensis. 289–290. Cassida senegalensis. 287, 289. Dorsal; 288, 290. Lateral.