Cassida fuscosignata Boheman, 1854

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 : 70

Cassida fuscosignata Boheman, 1854

( figs. 17 , 190 –192)

Cassida fuscosignata Boheman, 1854: 399, 1856: 130 , 1862: 317; Gemminger & Harold, 1876: 3654; Spaeth, 1939: 18; Borowiec, 1999: 253.

Cassida (Cassida) fuscosignata: Spaeth, 1914 b: 118 .

Description. L: 3.90 mm, W: 3.20 mm, Lp: 1.55 mm, Wp: 2.60 mm, L/W: 1.22, Wp/Lp: 1.68. Body short–oval (fig. 191).

Pronotum and scutellum yellow. Elytral disc yellow with few dark brown small spots: one on top of postscutellar elevation, one in the middle of each elevation surrounding postscutellar impressions and two on base of disc close to scutellar corners, two to three on elevated second interval and one on each side of disc at border of fourth interval and row laterally to median spot on second interval (fig. 191). Basal and lateral spots sometimes obsolete. Head, prosternum, abdomen, legs and antennae uniformly yellow, metasternum brown.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width slightly behind the middle, anterior margin regularly convex, sides broadly rounded, no basal corners. Disc without lateral lobes, indistinctly bordered from explanate margin, area above head only slightly impressed, surface shiny, with fine and sparse punctation, distance between punctures mostly twice to thrice wider than puncture diameter, interspaces regular. Explanate margin broad, impunctate, shiny, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure.

Base of elytra moderately wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anterad, angulate. Disc regularly convex in profile (fig. 192), with distinct postscutellar and principal impressions and distinct Hshaped postscutellar elevation, slightly elevated second interval and oblique thin elevation from basal branch of the H–shaped elevation extending to eight elytral row, also some interspaces on top of disc slightly elevated. Punctation coarse and dense, arranged in completely regular rows, distance between punctures mostly narrower from puncture diameter. Marginal row distinct, its punctures finer than in central rows. Intervals narrow, in sutural area slightly narrower than rows, except elevated second interval which is as wide as rows, on sides linear, interspaces shiny. Marginal interval moderately broad, as wide as submarginal interval and two rows combined, without humeral and with narrow lateral folds. Explanate margin moderately broad, moderately declivous, in the widest part slightly approximately four times narrower than disc, surface shiny, with shallow, moderately coarse and dense punctation, appears slightly irregular, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure.

Eyes very large, gena obsolete. Clypeus moderately broad, approximately 1.1 times as wide as long. Clypeal grooves dep, converging in regular triangle, surface of clypeus with apical impression, shiny with few very small, setose punctures. Labrum narrowly emarginate to 1/4 length. Antennae moderately slim, segments 9–10 slightly longer than wide. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:52:81:69:52:50:54:46:46:54:119. Segment 3 approximately 1.4 times as long as segment 2 and approximately 1.2 times as long as segment 4.

Prosternum broad in the middle, strongly expanded apically, area between coxa flat but with canaliculate sides, shiny, without special sculpture, with few hairy punctures, expanded apex flat with slightly impressed sides, surface slightly irregular with several moderately coarse, hairy punctures.

Claws with large basal tooth.

Distribution. Senegal ( fig. 17 ).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida lacrymosa species–group. It belongs to the species with less developed dark pattern on elytral disc limited to at most 10 very small brown spots. Only the palest form of C. lacrymosa , and typically maculate forms of C. eluta and C. namibiensis are similarly spotted. The last two species differ in a slimmer body with L/W 1.32–1.45 ( figs. 193, 194 , 205 ). The pale form of C. lacrymosa differs in the different placement of brown, small spots which group mostly on the sides of the elytral disc ( fig. 190 ) while in C. fuscosignata the elytral pattern is limited to the top of elytral disc (fig. 191). Both species are separated geographically, C. lacrymosa is wide spread in East and South Africa north to Somalia, south to Cape province in South Africa ( fig. 25 ) while C. fuscosignata is known only from Senegal ( fig. 17 ).

Types examined. Holotype: [ SENEGAL]: Seneg., Buquet ( NRS).

Other specimens examined. SENEGAL: 1.5 km NE Djibélor, 6.5 km SW Ziguinchor, 8 III 1977, 1 ( MNHW) .

Figures

FIGURE 17. Distribution of Cassida eluta (black circles), Cassida franklinmuelleri (black diamonds) and Cassida fuscosignata (black square).

FIGURE 25. Distribution of Cassida lacrymosa.

FIGURES 188–190. Cassida lacrymosa. 191–192. Cassida fuscosignata. 188–191. Dorsal; 192. Lateral.

FIGURES 193–195. Cassida eluta. 196–198. Cassida voiensis. 193–194, 196–197. Dorsal; 195, 198. Lateral.

FIGURES 204–206. Cassida namibensis.207–209. Cassida villiersi. 204–205, 207–208 Dorsal; 206, 209. Lateral.