Herminella liliputana Spaeth, 1926

Borowiec, Lech & Wietojañska, Jolanta, 2014, A revision of the genus Herminella Spaeth (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Notosacanthini), with a description of a new related genus and species from Madagascar, Zootaxa 3895 (2), pp. 257-272 : 260-262

Herminella liliputana Spaeth, 1926

Herminella liliputana Spaeth, 1926: 14 ; Borowiec, 1999: 7

Type material. Holotype: round label with red margins Type / H. T.; rectangular white label Port. E. Africa / Monapo. / 2.X.1918 / G. D. H. Carpenter. / 1919-36; rectangular white label Spaeth det. / Herminella / liliputana / typ. unic. ( NHML).

Other material examined. One specimen: SOUTH AFRICA / E Transv. Elandshoek / 18–29 Feb. 1956 / A. L. Capener ( DBET).

Description. Length: 2.4–2.85 mm, width: 1.65–2.00 mm, length/width ratio: 1.43–1.45.

Pronotum yellow. Elytra yellow, along suture with black postscutellar spot extending laterally to the fourth row of punctures and apically to 3/5 length of disc, anteriorly the spot forms branches surrounding yellow postscutellar impression but not reaching to the basal margin of disc. Head, prosternum and abdomen yellow, in holotype specimen meso-, metasterna and margins of hind coxal cavities and external margin of tibiae black, in paratype specimen meso- and metasterna yellowish-brown, hind coxa yellow and external margin of tibiae brownish. Antennae in holotype yellow with brown club, in paratype uniformly yellow.

Pronotum transverse, approximately two times as wide as long with maximum width in basal 1/3 length, anterior margin with small triangular median emargination, head not visible from above. Transparent margins of pronotum in apex of the emargination partly overlapped, head not visible from above. Sides subangulate, lateral margin before and behind lateral angulation not crenulate, or behind the angulation slightly irregular, basal corners well marked, lateral margin before corners deeply emarginate. Pronotal disc convex, its anterior margin on sides sulcate, surface of disc alutaceous, on top impunctate, on sides and along the base with several coarse but sparse punctures, less numerous than in other species. Explanate margin with very large transparent punctures, the largest in central part of the margin, the smallest along the transparent extreme margin of disc, area along border of disc impunctate.

Elytra as wide as pronotum, oval, apex broadly rounded, not emarginate before sutural apex, humeri subangulate. Disc depressed with very large and dense punctation. Punctures on top of disc arranged in more or less regular rows but in scutellar area and between humeral costa and marginal row with few additional irregular punctures. Intervals very narrow, linear, forms one complete and one short costae. Dorsal costa distinct for whole length, in posterior half forms softly curved s-shaped figure. Humeral costa incomplete, visible as sharp elevation in posterior 1/4 length of humeral interval, apex of dorsal and humeral costae connected by thin apical transverse costa but no connection between apex of dorsal costa and elevated suture. Marginal row with coarse punctures, only slightly coarser than punctures on sides of disc. Explanate margin of elytra narrow, in the widest part five times narrower than disc, moderately declivous, in anterior half with two rows of coarse transparent punctures and 2–3 additional punctures between the rows. Along whole length of the transparent extreme margin with row of small punctures.

Clypeus approximately as long as wide, clypeal plate in the middle with deep triangular impression, in position of mid-length of eye the impression slightly narrower than elevated lateral parts of clypeus, base of the triangle slightly wider than half width of labrum. Eyes moderately large, gena slightly shorter than half width of eye.

Labrum transverse, very short with very shallow anterior emargination. Antennae stout, second segment moderately large, globular, third segment slightly longer second segment. Funicle approximately 1.4 times as long as club, segments 9 and 10 of club transverse, slightly more than two times as wide as long.

Distribution. Northern Mozambique and Transvaal region in South Africa.