Cassida granula Boheman, 1856

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 : 73-75

Cassida granula Boheman, 1856

( figs. 18 , 250–251)

Cassida Granula Boheman, 1856: 131, 1862: 325 ; Gemminger & Harold, 1876: 3654; Spaeth, 1928: 9, 1933 a: 347; Shaw, 1961: 30, 1968 a: 371, 1972: 74; Borowiec, 1986: 806, 1999: 254.

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

Cassida pyxidata Boheman, 1862: 360 ; Gemminger & Harold, 1876: 3657; Borowiec, 1999: 254 (as syn.).

Cassida (Cassida) pyxidata: Spaeth, 1914 b: 119 .

Description. L: 4.70–5.05 mm, W: 3.70–4.10 mm, Lp: 1.70–2.00 mm, Wp: 2.75–3.10 mm, L/W: 1.21–1.33, Wp/ Lp: 1.55–1.72. Body short–oval, males slightly stouter than females (fig. 250).

Pronotum and scutellum yellow, elytral disc yellow, punctures of disc at base and around top with reddish centre and reddish areola thus disc at base and on sides appears predominantly reddish (figs. 250, 251). In rare pale forms disc predominantly yellow and reddish punctures form only lyriform figure around disc, occasionally disc almost uniformly yellow with only few lateral punctures with reddish centre. Explanate margin uniformly yellow. Head, ventrites, legs and antennae uniformly yellow.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width in the middle, anterior margin regularly convex, sides broadly rounded, no basal corners. Disc indistinctly bordered from explanate margin, without lateral lobes. Surface of disc from slightly alutaceous to slightly shiny, with very fine and sparse punctation or pricks, appears regular. Explanate margin broad, impunctate, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure its surface from slightly alutaceous to slightly shiny.

Base of elytra moderately wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anterad, subangulate to angulate. Disc irregularly convex in profile, with deep postscutellar and principal and shallow posterolateral impressions, and high H–shaped postscutellar elevation (fig. 251). Punctation coarse arranged in regular rows, in postscutellar impressions and behind H–shaped elevation some additional irregular punctures. Punctures in rows dense, distance between them narrower than puncture diameter.Marginal row distinct, its punctures only slightly coarser than punctures in central rows. Intervals mostly linear, only submarginal and marginal intervals broad, marginal as wide as submarginal interval and submarginal row combined, slightly humeral fold absent, lateral fold from distinct to absent. In specimens with expanded reddish pattern punctation usually more coarse and intervals more linear than in pale specimens. Explanate margin moderately broad, moderately declivous, in the widest part four times narrower than disc, surface from slightly alutaceous to slightly shiny with coarse and moderately dense punctation, appears irregular to rugose, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure.

Eyes very large, gena obsolete. Clypeus broad, approximately 1.3 times as wide as long. Clypeal grooves fine but well marked, runs close to margin of eye, on top converging in angle, surface of clypeus flat or very shallowly impressed, its surface shiny with few very small punctures. Labrum emarginate to 1/4 length. Antennae moderately stout, segments 9–10 slightly longer than wide. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:47:59:53:50:32:50:44:50: 50:94. Segment 3 approximately 1.3 times as long as segment 2 and approximately 1.1 times as long as segment 4.

Prosternum moderately broad in the middle, strongly expanded apically, area between coxa slightly impressed, shiny, with few very small, setose punctures, expanded apex flat, shiny, without special sculpture, with few very small setose punctures.

Claws with large basal tooth.

Distribution. Western and Central Africa west to Guinea, east to Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo ( fig. 18 ).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida viridipennis species–group. It belongs to the complex of species with broad bod, punctation of elytra mostly regular and elytral disc with reddish or brown and yellow pattern (figs. 250, 252). This complex comprises also maculate forms of C. mashonensis and C. viridipennis . Both relatives distinctly differ in having the elytral pattern brown and forming more or less lyriform shape ( figs. 249 , 279) or forming yellow central spot and numerous small, brown spots on sides and on suture (fig. 280) In C. granula the pattern is red and spread over the entire of central part of the disc except for yellow relief (fig. 250), occasionally the red pattern is limited to areolae around punctures on sides of disc. Cassida granula has the most northwestern distribution of all species of the C. viridipennis species–group known from West and Central Africa ( fig. 18 ), while both relatives occur in East and Southern Africa ( figs. 28 , 32 ).

Types examined. Syntype of Cassida granula Boheman, 1856 : [ GUINEA sensu lato]: Guinea, (NRS); syntype of Cassida pyxidata Boheman, 1862 : [ NIGERIA]: Old Calabar, (BMNH).

Other specimens examined. BENIN: 55 km NNE Parakou, Son Tou (Boraou), 4 VII 2001, 1, F. & L. Kantner ( FK); Savé, 6 IX 1973, 1, R. Linnavuori ( ZMUH) .

BURKINA FASO: Haute Volta, Melou, 2 (IRSN).

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ZAIRE): Bas Uele, Buta, 1926, 2, F. Joseph ( MRAC) ; Equateur , Bokuma, XII 1951, 2, Lootens ( MRAC, MNHW) ; Garamba Nat. Park , 19 I 1951, 20, 3 II 1951, 18, 3 VI 1952, 2, De Saeger ( IRSN, MRAC, MNHW) ; Itoka , X 1912, 1, R. Mayné ( MRAC) ; Ituri , Medje, 1 IV 1914, 1, Christy ( MRAC) ; Kisantu , 1932, 2, Vanderijst ( MRAC) ; Leopoldville , 22 IX 1923, 3, A. Collart ( MRAC) ; Mayidi , 1942, 1, R.P. Van Eyen ( MNHW) ; Mayumbe–Kiniati , 7–8 VI 1911, 2, R. Mayné ( MRAC) ; Mayumbe–Tshela , 13–27 II 1916, 1, R. Mayné ( MRAC) ; Modu–Wamba , 5 IV 1931, 1, H.J. Bredo ( MRAC) ; Tshuapa , Ikela, XI 1956, 1, Lootens ( MRAC) ; Upemba Nat. Park , Mabwe, E lac Upemba, 585 m, 12–17 XII 1948, 2, de Witte ( IRSN, MNHW) .

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Benitogbt., Alén , 1–15 IX 1906, 1, G. Tessmann ( ZMHU) ; Mongo , 6 VI 1946, 1, J. Palau ( MCNB) ; Nkolentangan , XI 1907 – V 1908, 1, G. Tessmann ( ZMHU) .

GHANA: Northern Region, Tamale , 8.25 N / 0.53 W, 184 m, 15–28 II 1972, 1, S. Endrödy – Younga ( MNHW) .

GUINEA BISSAU: Regiao Cacheu, 10 km W of Sao Domingosi, 31 X 1992, 1 ex., M. Söderlund ( LU) .

IVORY COAST: Assinie, Afr. occ., 1 ( DEI) ; Kafolo / Comoe, 27 IV 1988, 1, F.–T. Krell ( SMNS) ; Zepreghé, Daloa , XII 1962, 2, J. Decelle ( MRAC) .

NIGERIA: Mokwa , VII 1970 ( LS); Warri, 16 VII 1897, 1, Dr. Roth ( MCZC) .

SIERRA LEONE: Sierra Leone, 1 (MRAC).

Figures

FIGURE 18. Distribution of Cassida granula (black circles) and Cassida limpopoana (black diamonds).

FIGURE 28. Distribution of Cassida mashonensis (black diamonds), Cassida minutissima (black square) and Cassida pernix (black circles).

FIGURE 32. Distribution of Cassida overlaeti (black squares), Cassida viridipennis (black circles) and Cassida weinmanni (black diamonds).

FIGURES 246–249. Cassida viridipennis. 250–251. Cassida granula. 246–247, 249–250. Dorsal; 248, 251. Lateral.