Cassida chrysanthemoides Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001

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 : 43-45

Cassida chrysanthemoides Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001

( figs. 10 , 313–314 )

Cassida sp. 1 : Kleinjan & Scott, 1996: 103.

Cassida chrysanthemoides Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001: 155 .

Description. L: 4.70–5.50, W: 3.60–4.20 mm, Lp: 1.60–1.80 mm, Wp: 2.90–3.20 mm, L/W: 1.23–1.38, Wp/Lp: 1.78–1.81. Body short–oval, sides moderately, regularly rounded ( fig. 313 ).

Uniformly yellow–green to yellow, including ventrites, legs and antennae, only apex of last antennal segment slightly infuscate ( figs. 313, 314 ).

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width approximately in the middle, sides more or less angulate. Surface of disc with hardly visible, fine, very shallow punctation, punctures as coarse as those of elytral disc. On sides and on top of pronotal disc punctures sparse, distance between them from as wide as to thrice wider than puncture diameter. Surface between punctures completely regular. Explanate margin of pronotum appears impunctate, its surface completely regular.

Base of elytra slightly wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anterad, angulate. Disc regularly convex in profile, without impressions ( fig. 314 ). Punctation fine, shallow, and moderately dense, distance between punctures from slightly narrower to twice wider than puncture diameter, surface of elytral disc appears regular. Explanate margin moderately declivous, punctures as coarse as but slightly sparser than on disc.

Eyes large, gena short, distance between under margin of eye and lateral angle of labrum more than twice shorter than eye length. Clypeus broad, approximately 1.2 times as wide as long, clypeal grooves deep, converging in triangle with slightly concave sides, surface of clypeal plate flat, with several small punctures. Labrum shallowly emarginate. Antennae short, segments 9–10 slightly wider than long. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:60:60:62:63:67:73:70:63:64:113. Segment 3 approximately as long as 2 and only slightly shorter than 4.

Prosternum narrow in the middle, moderately expanded apically, area between coxa deeply impressed, canaliculate, shiny, expanded apex convex in the middle, impressed laterally, without special sculpture except several very small, setose punctures.

Claws simple but with broad base.

Host plants. Asteraceae : Chrysanthemoides monilifera monilifera (L.) Norlindh, Ch. monilifera pisifera (L.) Norlindh ( Kleinjan & Scott, 1996).

Distribution. Cape Province in South Africa ( fig. 10 ).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida litigiosa species–group. It belongs to the group of species with broad body and strongly explanate elytral margins. At first glance C. chrysanthemoide is similar to C. spatiosiformis , C. spatiosa , C. diversepunctata and C. foveolatipennis . The last species distinctly differs in extremely coarse and dense elytral punctation and distinctly larger size (length 5.80–6.30 mm vs. 4.70–5.50). Cassida diversepunctata differs in slightly coarser elytral punctation, elytral disc more regularly convex (figs. 315, 316) and larger size with length 5.90–6.80 mm. Cassida spatiosa differs in sparser punctation with presence of two narrow impunctate stripes (in position of third and anterior half of fifth interval in regularly punctate species, fig. 311) while in C. chrysanthemoides elytra is densely punctate and punctures arranged completely irregular. Cassida spatiosiformis is the most similar but differs in base of elytra only slightly wider than pronotum and coarser but sparser punctation of pronotum and elytra.

Type examined. Holotype and 2 paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: Lab. reared ex S, Africa, Cape, Brenton –on– Sea , 34.05 S 23.00 E, 24 XI 1988, reared on Chrysanthemoides monilifera, J. Scott, Kleinjan (NIC, MNHW) ; three paratypes: S. Africa, Cape, Silvermine, 34.06 S 18.24 E, XI 1987, on leaves of Chrysanthemoides monilifera, J. Scott, M. Way (NIC) ; two paratypes: Africa , Cape, Brenton –on– Sea , 34.05 S 23.00 E, 24 XI 1988, reared on leaves Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. pisifera, J. Scott, Kleinjan (NIC, MNHW).

Other specimens examined. Lab. reared ex S, Africa, Cape, Brenton –on– Sea , 34.05 S 23.00 E, XI 1988, 1 ex. collected on Chrysanthemoides monilifera, J. Scott, Kleinjan (MNHW) .

Figures

FIGURE 10. Distribution of Cassida chrysanthemoide. FIGURE 11. Distribution of Cassida guttipennis (black circles) and Cassida foveolatipennis (black diamonds).

FIGURES 313–314. Cassida chrysanthemoides. 315–316. Cassida diversepunctata. 313, 315. Dorsal; 314, 316. Lateral.