Charidotella (Chapadacassis), Sekerka, Lukas & Borowiec, Lech, 2015

Sekerka, Lukas & Borowiec, Lech, 2015, Subgenera of Charidotella Weise with description of a new subgenus and species from Brazil (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae, Cassidini), ZooKeys 506, pp. 61-74 : 64-68

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Chapadacassis subgen. n. Figs 1-7

Type species.

Charidotella (Chapadacassis) paradoxa sp. n. here designated.

Etymology.

The genus name is a combination of its type locality, the Chapada plateau and the genus name Cassida , gender feminine.

Diagnosis.

Chapadacassis subgen. n. is well characterized by completely irregular punctation of the elytra, only apical two thirds of sutural row appear more or less regular, while all other Charidotella species have mostly regular punctation of the elytra. Mostly or completely irregular punctation of the elytra is generally a rare feature in Neotropical Cassidini present only in a few taxa (e.g. Metriona elatior (Klug, 1829) or Scaeocassis turbulenta (Boheman, 1862)).

Externally, Chapadacassis subgen. n. is reminiscent of Philaspis because of the body shape, but Philaspis species have moderately and regularly convex elytra without any impressions while Chapadacassis subgen. n. has strongly convex elytra with moderate scutellar impressions thus elytral profile is distinctly broken (Fig. 2). Chapadacassis subgen. n. also differs in having lateral sides of pronotum rounded (angulate in Philaspis ), tarsal claws with small tooth (large in Philaspis ), antennae with five basal shiny and slim antennomeres (six in Philaspis ), and antennomeres II and III subequal in length and IV longer than either (III and IV subequal in length and II distinctly shorter than either one).

Description.

Body 7.6 mm long and 5.9 mm wide, broadly oval and strongly convex (Figs 1-2). Pronotum subpentagonal, 1.9 times wider than long, widest slightly before midlength with obtuse lateral sides. Disc indistinctly separated from explanate margin, whole surface of pronotum sparsely and coarsely punctate. Scutellum triangular, smooth, dull, micro-reticulate. Elytral base distinctly wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles strongly protruding anterad and rounded. Disc strongly convex, moderately impresed on each side of scutellum, thus lateral profile broken (Fig. 2). Punctation of elytra overall coarse, mostly irregular only first two rows more or less regular in apical half. Marginal row distinct, interrupted by large callosity around midlength, its punctures approximately twice coarser than those on disc. Explanate margin broad, almost as broad as half width of disc, strongly declivous, sparsely and coarsely punctate. Extreme outer margin swollen.

Eyes large, gena not visible. Clypeus transverse, impunctate and shiny, anterior margin micro-rugose and slightly elevated (Fig. 4). Antennae slim, antennomeres I–V slim, glabrous and shiny, antennomere V intermediate, VI–XI broad and densely pubescent (Fig. 3). Labrum oval, not emarginate. Mandible with three large teeth. Prosternal collar slightly expanded towards mouth. Prosternal process broad with moderately expanded apex. Metepisterna coarsely punctate and dull. Mesepimera and mesepisterna micro-reticulate and dull. Metaventrite smooth, shiny and sparsely punctate. Abdominal ventrites I–IV smooth and shiny, V shiny and sparsely punctate, each puncture with long seta. Legs normal, slim, tarsal claws divergent. Both pro- and metaclaws appendiculate with small tooth. Outer mesoclaw claw simple (Fig. 6), inner with small tooth.