Cassida oxylepiformis, Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2022

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 : 120-121

Cassida oxylepiformis sp. nov.

(figs. 35, 293–294)

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EEA590DD-4FC4-4EF0-9698-98E23747205C

Etymology. Named after its external similarity to the members of the genus Oxylepus Desbrochers, 1884 .

Description. L: 4.15 mm, W: 2.50 mm, Lp: 1.50 mm, Wp: 2.25 mm, L/W: 1.66, Wp/Lp: 1.50. Body elongate, almost cylindrical (fig. 293).

Entire body yellow (figs. 293, 294)

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width slightly in front of the middle, sides narrowly rounded. Surface of disc moderately coarse punctate, punctures slightly finer than those of elytral disc, dense, with distance between punctures approximately twice narrower than puncture diameter and surface between punctures appears slightly irregular. Explanate margin of pronotum shallowly and densely punctate, surface between punctures slightly irregular, semitransparent with honeycomb structure.

Scutellum punctate. Base of elytra slightly wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles distinctly protruding anterad, angulate. Disc regularly convex in profile, without impressions and without sculpture (fig. 294). Punctation moderately coarse, dense, interspaces mostly narrower than puncture diameter, surface of elytral disc appears regular. Explanate margin broad, extremely declivous almost perpendicular to surface, in widest part approximately 3.3 times narrower than disc, with punctation to those on disc, in area close to marginal row as dense as on elytral disc in area close to lateral margin of elytra slightly coarser than on disc, surface appears more or less regular, semitransparent with honeycomb structure.

Eyes shortened, gena elongate, distance between under margin of eye and lateral angle of labrum as long as half eye width. Clypeus very broad, approximately 1.6 times as wide as long, clypeal grooves deep, converging in regular triangle, clypeal plate slightly impressed, smooth and shiny, central plate without punctures. Labrum broadly, shallowly emarginate.Antennae moderately slim, segments 9–10 slightly elongate. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:59:59:45:55:41:64:50:59:55:123. Segment 3 approximately as long as 2 and 1.3 times as long as segment 4.

Prosternum very narrow in the middle, narrower than width of procoxa, strongly expanded apically, area between coxae with median groove, shiny, with few setose punctures, expanded apex flat medially without median impression, sides impressed, slightly irregular, shiny with few small setose punctures.

Claws simple but with slightly broadened base.

Distribution. South Africa (Western Cape) (fig. 35).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida litigiosa species–group, close to elongate, strongly convex species with a strongly declivous explanate margin of elytra such as Cassida litigiosa , C. lycii , C. melanophthalma , C. reticulipennis and C. wittmeri . Cassida oxylepiformis has the most cylindrical body within the subgroup with the most declivous explanate margin of elytra. Cassida litigiosa and C. reticulipennis differ also in finely punctate or partly impunctate pronotal disc, C. melanophthalma differs in more oval body and coarser elytral punctation, C. lycii differs in base of elytra more distinctly wider than pronotum, elytral sides distinctly converging posterad and extremely coarse punctation of pronotum, C. wittmeri differs in larger size with length above 4.7 mm and slightly coarser punctation of the elytral disc.

Type examined. Holotype: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: RSA Western Cape 368 m, R358 6 km E N7 N Bitterfontein, 30°57’775 S, 18°17’102 E, 30 x 2011 R. Borovec lgt. ( LS).