Caledonispa freycinetiae 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 : 16-19

Caledonispa freycinetiae Gressitt, 1960

(Figs 34–50, 221)

Caledonispa freycinetiae Gressitt, 1960b: 108 (original description); Uhmann 1964: 452 (catalogue).

Caledonispa sarasini: Gressitt 1957: 228 (misidentification), 1960b: 108 (= C. freycinetiae ).

Type locality. New Caledonia, Plateau de Dogny , 1030 m a.s.l.

Description. Length 12.65–14.50 mm, width 4.25–4.70 mm.

Head ferrugineous-brown to brown. Pronotum ferrugineous-brown to brown, paler and darker parts forming mosaic pattern of diffused borders, top of disc usually with dark spot. Elytra between suture and first costa and between second costa and marginal row of punctures dark brown; first two costae, intervals between costae and explanate margin yellow to ochraceous only apex of costae with black stripe and external costa almost completely black except brown apex (Fig. 34); in pale specimens background of elytra ochraceous to ferrugineous, costae yellow ( Fig. 43 ). Antennae from ochraceous to black (Fig. 35). Thorax black, abdomen mostly black, in holotype first four ventrites with large ochraceous spot laterally and last ventrite mostly ochraceous-brownish with black anterior margin, in all other examined specimens ventrites, including apical one, black with very small ochraceous spots laterally. Legs in holotype bicoloured, bases of femora brownish-black to ½–⅔ length, apices of femora, tibiae and tarsi ochraceous (Figs 39–41), in majority of examined specimens femora and tibiae mostly to completely dark brown to black, usually with paler spot at apex of tibiae, tarsi ochraceous ( Figs 45–47 ), occasionally whole legs ochraceous or with femora slightly darkened in middle ( Figs 48–50 ). Body 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 broad as long, interocular plate slightly narrowed anterad, almost flat, at base not impressed and not distinctly separated from vertex, lateral and anterior margin slightly elevated, anterior corners obtuse. Surface of interocular plate coarsely and densely punctate and with narrow, median sulcus along 3/4–4/5 length, obtuse (Figs 37, 44); interantennal process in males very short, not longer than half length of antennomere I, strongly flattened laterally but with obtuse apex, without sulcus along dorsal side. Frontoclypeus 1.1–1.2 × as long as broad (including interantennal process), obtuse apically, anterior corners forming elevated tubercles, along sides from base to half length with converging grooves, along middle runs more or less marked median keel, surface irregular, with punctures and wrinkles but shiny (Fig. 36). Antennae 0.3 × as long as body, slightly compressed apically; antennomere I long but stout, only slightly longer than broad; antennomere II short, as long as broad, almost twice shorter than I; antennomere III approximately 1.5 × as long as II; antennomeres IV, VI, VIII slightly shorter, antennomeres V, VII, IX, X slightly longer than III; antennomere XI 1.6 × as long as X, subangulate apically (Fig. 35). Pronotum approximately 1.1 × as broad as long, shallowly constricted behind anterolateral projections then subparallel-sided, anterior margin distinctly convex, basal margin shallowly bisinuate; anterior angles obtuse without anterior tubercle, anterolateral projections well marked impressed obliquely to anterior corners, basal angles bearing small, elongate acute tooth (Fig. 38); disc mostly flat, with more or less developed shallow sulcus along middle and small depression in front of scutellum, shiny, punctation of prothorax coarse and dense, punctures mostly touching each other and surface appears slightly rugose, on top of disc punctures slightly coarser and sparser than on sides especially along medial sulcus. Elytra approximately 2.5 × as long as broad, subparallel-sided basally and slightly broadened from base to middle and widest somewhat behind middle. Apex of elytra emarginate, with sharp sutural angle and broadly rounded lateral angle. Disc with 7–10 punctures in scutellar row, in humeral part with six main rows plus additional two small rows along external costa, ten rows behind middle and 12 rows apically; intervals 1–3 flat, intervals 4 and 6 obtusely and broadly costate on whole length, interval 8 narrowly costate on whole length; intervals between external costa and explanate margin with numerous additional punctures. Ventral surface shiny, hypomera coarsely punctate, punctures almost touching each other; anterior margin of prosternum indistinctly elevated only finely margined by very thin row; prosternal process with extremely fine and sparse punctation, mesoventrite anteriorly with small punctures, posteriorly with longitudinal striation, metaventrite laterally with coarse and dense punctures, anterior process and posterolateral convex angles with longitudinal and oblique striation to grooves, central part with fine oblique striation; abdomen mostly impunctate, only pale lateral spots with a few punctures and apical margins of ventrites with more or less marked striation. Legs stout.

Sexual dimorphism distinct, males with fore femora strongly swollen, in large males ventral margin of fore femora more or less bisinuate, fore tibiae apically with large apical, acute tooth, inner apical margin of tibia sharply keeled (Figs 39, 48); mid tibiae narrowed and curved before apex, armed apically with moderately strong, black spine (Figs 40, 49), hind tibiae widened at apex with strong apical spine (Figs 41, 50); in females fore femora moderately swollen with ventral margin straight or only slightly bisinuate, fore tibiae apically on inner sidse deeply excavate, apex without tooth ( Fig. 45 ), mid and hind tibiae almost straight, armed apically with two minute spines (Figs, 46, 47). Apex of abdominal ventrite deeply emarginate in males while shallowly emarginate in females.

Immature stages. Larva was described and figured by Gressitt (1960b: 110).

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

Type material examined. Holotype: ♀, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | Plateau de Dogny | 1030m, III-4-1960 [w, p, cb] || J. L. Gressitt | Collector [w, p, cb] || Freycinetia [w, p, cb] || HOLOTYPE | CALEDONISPA [hw] | FREYCI- NETIAE [hw] | J.L. Gressitt [r, p, cb] || CALEDONISPA [hw] | FREYCINETIAE [hw] | GR. [hw] | J.L.Gressitt det.[p]60[hw] [w, p, cb]’ ( BPBM). Paratype: ♀, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | Plateau de Dogny | 1030m, III- 4-1960 [w, p, cb] || J. L. Gressitt | Collector [w, p, cb] || Freycinetia [w, p, cb] || Paratype | CALEDONISPA [hw] | FREYCINE- TIAE [hw] | Paratype [p] | J.L. Gressitt [y, p, cb] ( LS).

Additional material examined. NEW CALEDONIA: Foret Nord , site 1, rainforest, 21°19′S, 166°55′E, 480 m, 22.xii.2004, 1 ♂, Burwell & Wright leg. ( QMBA) ; Mt. Humboldt , moss forest, 21°53′S, 166°25′E, 6.xi.2002, 1400 m, 1 ♂ (ex Freycinetia sp.), Burwell, Monteith & Wright leg. ( QMBA) ; Mt. Humboldt summit, 21°53′S, 166°25′E, 1600 m, 5.xi.2002, 1 ♂, Burwell, Monteith & Wright leg. ( LS) ; Mt. Humboldt , beyond summit, moss forest, 21°53′S, 166°25′E, 1500 m, 7.xi.2004, 1 ♀, C.J. Burwell leg. ( QMBA) ; Mt. Mou summit, 1200 m, 24.v.1984, 1 ♂, G. Monteith & D. Cook leg. ( QMBA) ; Mt. Mou , moss forest, 22°04′S × 166°21′E, 1200 m, 27.–28.xii.2004, 7 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ (ex Freycinetia sp.), G. Monteith leg. ( QMBA, LS) , 1150 m, 27.xii.2004, 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (ex Freycinetia sp.), G. Monteith leg. ( QMBA, LS) ; Mt. Koghi , 500 m, 7.–8.xii.1963, 1 ♀ (ex Freycinetia sp.), R. Straatman leg. ( BPBM) ; Riviere Bleue , 200 m, 25.–27.iii.1981, 1 ♀ (ex Freycinetia sp.), 280–300 m, 27.iii.1981, 1 ♀ (ex Freyci- netia sp.), J. L. Gressitt leg. ( BPBM) ; Riviere Bleue , Kaori Géant, 22°06′S, 166°39′E, 160 m, 19.xi.2002, 1 ♂, G. Monteith leg. ( QMBA) , 19.–21.xi.2002, 1 ♂, G. Monteith & S. Wright leg. ( QMBA) .

Figures

FIGURES 43–50. Caledonispa freycinetiae Gressitt, 1960. 43. Body dorsal, pale form, 44. Head of female dorsal, 45. Fore leg of female, 46. Mid leg of female, 47. Hind leg of female, 48. Fore leg of male, 49. Mid leg of male, 50. Hind leg of male.