Cassida reticulipennis 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 : 134

Cassida reticulipennis Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001

( figs. 37 , 298–299)

Cassida reticulipennis Borowiec & Świętojańska, 2001: 162 ; Borowiec, 2005: 127.

Description. L: 4.40–5.00 mm, W: 3.15–3.50 mm, Lp: 1.50–1.80 mm, Wp: 2.50–2.80 mm, L/W: 1.38–1.46, Wp/ Lp: 1.56–1.67. Body elongate–oval, distinctly converging posterad (fig. 298).

Uniformly yellow, including ventrites, legs and antennae, sometimes apex of last segment infuscate (figs. 298, 299).

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width slightly before the middle, sides rounded. Disc indistinctly bordered from explanate margin, without lateral lobes. Surface of disc alutaceaous, finely, very shallowly punctate, punctures much finer than those of elytral disc, hardly visible. Distance between punctures mostly wider than puncture diameter, in many specimens pronotum appears impunctate. Surface of disc regular. Explanate margin of pronotum impunctate, surface regular, semitransparent with more or less visible honeycomb structure.

Base of elytra not or only slightly wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles strongly protruding anterad, angulate. Disc moderately, regularly convex in profile, without impressions or elevations (fig. 299). Punctation moderately coarse but dense, distance between punctures on sides approximately twice narrower than puncture diameter, on top of disc slightly narrower to as wide as puncture diameter, surface usually appears regular but in some specimens slightly irregular. In many specimens surface between punctures with fine microreticulation. Explanate margin narrow, in the widest part six times narrower than disc, strongly declivous, almost perpendicular to surface, with very shallow, sparse and fine punctation, thus surface appears mostly regular and partly impunctate.

Eyes large, gena short, distance between under margin of eye and lateral angle of labrum more shorter than half eye width. Clypeus broad, approximately 1.2 times as wide as long, clypeal grooves distinct, runs in distance from eyes, concave, at apex converging in almost transverse line with triangular median process. Surface of clypeal plate flat, shiny, with few very small setose punctures. Labrum shallowly emarginate. Antennae stout, segments 9–10 slightly transverse. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:58:70:53:53:47:74:50:60:60:106. Segment 3 approximately 1.2 times longer than 2 and approximately 1.3 times than 4.

Prosternal process narrow in the middle, moderately expanded apically, area between coxa canaliculate, shiny, expanded apex only slightly convex in the middle, shiny, with few very small setose punctures.

Claws with very small basal tooth.

Host plants. Chenopodiaceae : Atriplex nummularia Lindley ( Borowiec & Świętojańska 2001) .

Distribution. South Africa: S and W Cape ( fig. 37 ).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida litigiosa species–group. It belongs to the complex of species with a more or less elongate body, elytra distinctly converging posterad and with a strongly declivous explanate margin of elytra ( figs. 300–302 ). The complex comprises also C. lycii , C. melanophthalma and C. litigiosa . The first two species distinctly differ in the coarse punctation of the pronotum while in C. reticulipennis the punctation of the pronotum is fine, shallow, the punctures much finer than those of the elytral disc, hardly visible. Cassida litigiosa is very similar, differs in slightly a slimmer body with L/W 1.46–1.65 (in C. reticulipennis usually 1.38–1.45) and slightly finer but denser elytral punctation ( figs. 295, 296 ). Cassida oxylepiformis has also elongate body but almost parallel sided, with an extremely declivous explanate margin of elytra, cylindrical (fig. 293).

Types examined. Holotype and two paratypes: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: Cape Province, 10 km SSW Willowmore, 33.22 S 23.27 E, 30 XI1988, B. Grobbelaar ( NIC, MNHW); four paratypes: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: S.W. Cape, Henningnes Riv., 34.42 S – 20.02 E, 28 X 1983 S. Endrödy – Younga ( TM, MNHW); paratype: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: Cape Province, Steytlerville, 8 II 1966, A.L. Capener ( MNHW); paratype: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: Cape Province, Storms River Mouth, 14/ 15 X 1964, A.L. Capener ( NIC); paratype: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: S.W. Cape, Nieuwoudtville, 31.23 S – 19.11 E, 15 X1985, S. Endrödy – Younga ( MNHW).

Figures

FIGURE 37.Distribution of Cassida reticulipennis (black circles).FIGURE38. Distribution of Cassida quatuordecimsignata (black circles).

FIGURES 300–302. Cassida melanophthalma. 303–304. Cassida praetimida. 300–301, 303. Dorsal; 302, 304. Lateral.

FIGURES 295–297. Cassida litigiosa. 298–299. Cassida reticulipennis. 295–296, 298. Dorsal; 297, 299. Lateral.