Stephanispa cohici Gressitt, 1960

Borowiec, Lech, Świętojańska, Jolanta & Sekerka, Lukáš, 2019, Revision of the tribe Cryptonychini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) of New Caledonia, Zootaxa 4690 (1), pp. 1-71 : 41-42

Stephanispa cohici Gressitt, 1960

(Figs 135–142, 229)

Stephanispa cohici Gressitt, 1960b: 115 (original description); Uhmann 1964: 455 (catalogue).

Type locality. New Caledonia, Sarraméa , 200 m a.s.l.

Description. Length 4.90–5.85 mm, width 1.35–1.70 mm.

Head yellow, behind eyes with black stripe, sometimes in middle of vertex small brown spot of diffused borders. Pronotum yellow with brownish-black stripe along middle and black stripe along sides. Scutellum brown. Elytra yellow with brown stripes along intervals 2 and 4, these stripes dark at base and gradually lighter apically (Fig. 135), sometimes also apical part of interval 5 more or less darkened; sides of elytra in anterior ⅔ length between penulti- mate row of punctures and margin, with brownish-black to black stripe, darkest in humeral part then gradually paler apically, also elytral epipleura in anterior ⅔ length dark brown to black. Antennomeres I–VII yellow, antennomere VIII from yellow to mostly brown, antennomeres IX–XI brown. Thorax, abdomen and legs uniformly yellow. Body surface microreticulate and thus appearing dull; glabrous except for yellowish hairs on frontoclypeus, short golden brown pubescence on distal antennomeres and golden orange pubescence on tarsal pads and apices of tibiae. Head 1.4 × as wide as long, interocular plate transverse in basal ⅔ length parallelsided then softly converging anterad, without impressions, not separated from vertex, sides of interocular plate slightly convex in anterior half and margined by sulcus, anterior corners gently rounded. Surface of interocular plate moderately coarsely and densely punctate, interspaces narrower than puncture diameter and surface appears slightly irregular, along middle runs narrow medial sulcus, whole vertex as coarsely and densely punctate as surface of interocular plate; interantennal process very short, not sexually dimorphic, not longer than ¼ length of antennomere I, flattened laterally, angulate apically, with narrow sulcus along dorsal surface (Fig. 138). Frontoclypeus 1.3 × as long as broad (including interantennal process), acute apically, anterior corners forming elevated tubercles, margins of central plate in anterior third elevated and converging in triangle, surface flat with moderately coarse and dense punctures without medial sulcus or keel, whole surface with sparse long hairs (Fig. 137). Antennae 0.35 × as long as body, slightly compressed apically; antennomere I large, approximately 1.4 × as long as broad; antennomere II short, 1.2–1.3 × as long as broad and 0.6 × as long as I; antennomere III elongate, 1.2 × as long as II; antennomeres IV–VI and VIII–X as long as or slightly longer than II; antennomere XI 1.5 × as long as X, subangulate apically (Fig. 136). Pronotum approximately 1.1 × as long as broad, almost square, parallel-sided, lateral margin sharp, anterior margin moderately convex, basal margin bisinuate; anterior angles obtuse without anterior tubercle, basal angles bearing small, elongate sharp tooth (Fig. 139); disc regularly convex, without impressions or medial sulcus, surface microreticulate, punctation moderately coarse but dense, disposed regularly, punctures partly elongate, interspaces from slightly narrower to as wide as puncture diameter. Elytra 2.8 × as long as broad, subparallel. Apex of elytra truncate to gently rounded, sutural angle subrectangular, lateral angle rounded. Disc with 1–2 punctures in scutellar row, but in some specimens scutellar row disappear; eigth rows in humeral part, ten rows behind middle, ten rows apically; intervals 1–2 and 4–5 flat, intervals 3 and 6 costate on whole length, intervals in anterior half wider than rows, punctures in rows regular, only on apical ¼ of elytra additional rows and punctures disrupting regularity. Ventral surface microreticulate and mostly smooth, hypomera with moderately coarse and dense punctures; prosternum smooth with very narrow, only slightly elevated anterior margin, prosternal alae and expanded apex smooth, mesoventrite partly with fine oblique striation, metaventrite laterally with row of moderately coarse and dense punctures and a few additional punctures, central part smooth, posterolateral angles convex with fine oblique striation; abdomen mostly smooth and shiny only apex of last ventrite microreticulate and finely granulate and punctate. Legs stout, sexually dimorphic (Figs 140, 141).

Sexual dimorphism weakly manifested, in males apex of mid tibiae armed with long, ochraceous spine (Fig. 141) and apex of last ventrite deeply emarginate. In females apical spine of mid tibiae distinctly shorter than in males and apex of last ventrite regularly rounded.

Host plant. Pandanaceae : Freycinetia sp. ( Gressitt 1960b).

Type material. Holotype: ♂, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | Sarramea 100- | 200m, III-2 -’60 [w, p, cb] || Freycinetia [w, p, cb] || J. L. Gressitt | Collector [w, p, cb] || D136 [yellow, hw, s] || HOLOTYPE | STEPHANISPA [hw] | CO- HICI [hw] | J.L. Gressitt [r, p, cb] || STEPHANISPA [hw] | COHICI [hw] | GR. [hw] | J.L.Gressitt det.[p]60[hw] [w, p, cb]’ ( BPBM). Paratype: ♀, same data as holotype but ‘ Paratype | STEPHANISPA [hw] | COHICI [hw] | Paratype | J. L. Gressitt [hw] [orange, p, cb] || STEPHANISPA [hw] | COHICI [hw] | GR [hw] | J.L.Gressitt det.[p]60[hw] [w, p, cb]’ ( BPBM).

Additional material examined. NEW CALEDONIA: Mt. Ignambi , 900–1000 m, 4.ii.1964, 1 ♂, (ex Frey- cinetia), R. Straatman leg. ( LS) ; Mt. Paniè , E trail, -20.5629, 164.77800, 700–950 m, 26.11.2010, 1 ♂, R. Ruta & M. Wanat leg. ( WMNH) ; Pic dʼAmoa, N slope, 20°58′S, 165°17′E, 500 m, 24.xi.2001, 1 ♂, G. Monteith leg. ( QMBA) .