Cassida procurva Spaeth, 1924

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 : 129-130

Cassida procurva Spaeth, 1924

( figs. 2 , 172–173 )

Cassida procurva Spaeth, 1924: 354 ; Borowiec, 1999 a: 275.

Description. L: 6.00 mm, W: 5.55 mm, Lp: 2.30 mm, Wp: 3.85 mm, L/W: 1.08, Wp/Lp: 1.67. Body almost circular ( fig. 172 ).

Pronotum uniformly yellow, only basal margin marked with black. Scutellum yellow with black margins. Elytra yellow, disc with black pattern of 9 spots arranged as in fig. 172 . Spot on humerus sometimes divided into two spots (in holotype specimen left spot is complete, right divided into two spots). Sutural margin narrowly black. Ventrites, legs and antennae uniformly yellow.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width before the middle, sides rounded. Surface of both disc and explanate margin impunctate and shiny. Surface of explanate margin transparent, honeycomb structure well visible.

Base of elytra distinctly wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles distinctly protruding anterad, angulate. Basal margin of disc finely crenulate. Disc regularly convex in profile ( fig. 173 ), without impressions except very shallow, small postscutellar impressions. Punctation regular, fine and sparse, in rows distance between punctures mostly wider than puncture diameter, some punctures tend to form groups 2–3 together. On sides of disc punctures slightly impressed. Marginal row distinct, its punctures distinctly coarser than those of median rows. Intervals flat and broad, in sutural part of disc five to six times, on sides of disc two to four times wider than rows. Marginal interval distinct, broad, almost twice wider than submarginal interval with well marked humeral and lateral folds. Surface of intervals, impunctate, glabrous and shiny. Explanate margin broad, in the widest part four times narrower than wide of disc, subhorizontal, forms a shallow gutter. Surface of explanate margin, impunctate, glabrous, shiny, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure. Apex of elytral epipleura with few erect setae.

Head broad, eyes moderately large but gena very short. Clypeus very broad, 1.6 times as wide as broad, frontal grooves fain, run in distance to inner margin of eyes and converging in regular triangle. Frontal plate, flat, impunctate and shiny. Labrum narrow, very shallowly emarginate. Antennae moderately long, segments 9–10 slightly longer than wide, segment 3 approximately 1.25 times as long as segment 2 and the same long as segment 4.

Prosternal collar short, in mid of anterior length as long as half length of apical segment of palpi, on sides emarginate thus in the middle head cavity without collar. Prosternal process broad, moderately expanded apically, impressed between fore coxa but with flat surface. Apex smooth and shiny with only slightly irregular surface.

Claws simple but appearing distinctly appendiculate due to projecting flanks of claw segment.

Distribution. Tanzania ( fig. 2 ).

Remarks. A very distinct species, with no close relatives in the Afrotropical region. Its body shape and colouration is unique ( figs. 172–173 ). At first glance it looks similar to Cassida recondita ( Boheman, 1862) from Indonesia and Philippines and its relatives C. quinquemaculata Boheman, 1854 from Philippines and C. corollata Spaeth, 1940 from Java and Borneo. In Oriental species the elytral pattern tends to form more or less expanded reticulation, if the pattern is composed with separate black spots, like in C. procurva , then the postscutellar area has no black spot, at most only the sutural margin is darkened.

Type examined. Holotype: [ TANZANIA]: Manow , 1920, Staudinger ( MM).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Distribution of Cassida altiuscula (black circles), Cassida blanda (black square) and Cassida procurva (black diamond).

FIGURES 172–173. Cassida procurva. 174–175. Cassida rabaiensis. 172, 174. Dorsal; 173, 175. Lateral.