Cassida morondaviana, Borowiec, Lech, 2007

Borowiec, Lech, 2007, Two new species of Cassida Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) from Madagascar and notes on subgenera of the genus Cassida, Zootaxa 1586, pp. 47-58 : 51-53

Cassida morondaviana sp. nov.

Etymology

Named after its locus typicus, Morondava city in W Madagascar.

Diagnosis

A very distinct species, with no close relatives in Madagascar or tropical Africa. At first glance it looks like members of the Palaearctic subgenus Cassidulella Strand, 1928 (type species: Cassida nobilis Linnaeus, 1758 ), especially Cassida ovalis Spaeth, 1914 from Algeria and Corsica or Cassida vittata Villers, 1789 a wide-spread in the Palaearctic Region. The similarity is also emphasized by the similar structure of the spermatheca with a C-shaped vasculum (see figures in Bordy and Doguet, 1987: figs. 15 and 16). Palaearctic members differ in having a less cuneiform body, finer pronotal and elytral punctation with at least the central elytral intervals distinctly wider than the rows, interval 3 with additional irregular punctures, distinctly coarserly punctate clypeus with deeper clypeal sulci, stouter antennae with segments 9 and 10 subquadrate, and a distinctly longer prosternal collar with the distance between the anterior margin of the fore coxal cavity and fore margin of the collar longer than half width of a coxa. From Madagascan members of the tribe Cassidini , some small species of the genus Sphenocassis Spaeth, 1911 (type species: Laccoptera humerosa Fairmaire, 1898 ) are at first glance similar, especially S. rotundella Borowiec, 2002 and S. punctatissima (Weise, 1910) but they distinctly differ from C. morondaviana in the completely irregular elytral punctation.

Description

Length: male 4.4–4.7 mm, female 5.2–5.5 mm, width: male 2.6–2.9 mm, female 2.9–3.1 mm, length of pronotum: male 1.7–1.8 mm, female 1.85–2.0 mm, width of pronotum: male 2.35–2.5 mm, female: 2.45–2.7 mm, length/width ratio: male 1.62–1.69, female 1.77–1.79, width/length ratio of pronotum: 1.33–1.41, female 1.29–1.37. Body cuneiform, strongly convex, sides and slope strongly declining (figs. 6, 7). Sexual dimorphism distinct, male smaller and stouter than female.

Whole body uniformly yellowish green, including legs, only last four antennal segments infuscate.

Pronotum subtrapezoidal, with maximum width in anterior 2/5 length. Anterior margin very evenly curved, anterior corners rounded then sides strongly converging posterad, explanate margin strongly declining. Disc moderately convex, indistinctly divided into part above head and basal and lateral part and indistinctly bordered from explanate margin. Area above head indistinctly, finely and sparsely punctate. Basal and lateral part of disc coarsely punctate, punctures almost touching each other but surface appears regular. Explanate margin finely, shallowly, and sparsely punctate, honeycomb structure distinct. Surface of pronotum moderately shiny.

Scutellum triangular, without sulci. Base of elytra slightly wider than pronotum, humeri angulate, strongly protruding anterad. Disc strongly convex, sides, slope and explanate margin strongly declining. In profile disc regularly convex with top of convexity almost in mid length ( Fig. 8 ). Punctation of disc regular, coarse, intervals slightly narrower than rows. Punctures in rows almost touching each other. Intervals flat, completely regular. Marginal row distinct, its punctures distinctly coarser than those of disc, marginal interval very narrow, well marked only below humerus, no lateral folds. Explanate margin moderately broad, in the widest part approximately as wide as 1/3 width of disc. Punctation of explanate margin moderately coarse and spread regularly, each puncture placed in centre of eye of distinct honeycomb structure. Surface of elytra appears slightly shiny. Apex of elytral epipleura bare.

Eyes small, gena slightly shorter than 1/3 length of eye. Clypeus 1.4 times as wide as long, clypeal plate shallowly impressed in the middle, surface shiny. Clypeal grooves fine but distinct, well visible on whole length, run in distance from ventral margins of eyes and converging in narrow triangle ( Fig. 5 ). Labrum shallowly emarginate. Prosternal collar short, distance between anterior margin of fore coxal cavity and fore margin of the collar shorter than half width of coxa, prosternal process moderately broad, in the middle approximately as wide as length of trochanters, strongly expanded apically. Surface of prosternal process flat, expanded apical part with few shallow punctures.

Antennae slim, length ratio of antennal segments: 100:55:64:50:45:41:55:45:50:55:105. Segment 3 approximately 1.2 times as long as segment 2 and approximately 1.3 times as long as segment 4, segments 9 and 10 elongate, 1.3–1.5 as long as wide. Tarsi moderately slim, last segment not extending to the apical margin of segment 3, claws extending to apex of marginal setae ( Fig. 3 ). Claws simple.

Types

Holotype male: “ MADAGASKAR MORONDAVA, 2004.07.30 leg. W. Suppantschitsch” // “ S 20° 12’ 18.2’’, E 44° 21’ 44.1’’, Höhe: 20m ”// “ HOLOTYPE des. L. Borowiec” // “ Cassida morondaviana n. sp., HOLOTYPUS, des. L. Borowiec ‘2006 ” (preserved at the Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy, Wrocław, Poland); 16 paratypes: “ MADAGASKAR MORONDAVA, 2004.07.30 leg. W. Suppantschitsch” // “ S 20° 12’ 18.2’’, E 44° 21’ 44.1’’, Höhe: 20m ”// “ PARATYPE des. L. Borowiec” // “ Cassida morondaviana n. sp., PARATYPUS, des. L. Borowiec ‘2006 ” (preserved at the Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy, Wrocław, Poland; 10 paratypes in coll. U. Heinig, Berlin, Germany).

Figures

FIGURES 6 – 9. Cassida morondaviana sp. nov.: 6. Male habitus dorsal; 7. Female habitus dorsal; 8. Female habitus lateral; 9. Tarsus.

FIGURES 4 – 5. Head: 4. Cassida butterwecki sp. nov.; 5. Cassida morondaviana sp. nov.

FIGURES 1 – 3. Cassida butterwecki sp. nov.: 1. Habitus dorsal; 2. Habitus lateral; 3. Tarsus.