Cassida aspectabilis Spaeth, 1914

Simões, Marianna V. P., Husemann, Martin & Sekerka, Lukáš, 2021, A Catalog of the Tortoise Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) Collection Deposited in the Zoological Museum Hamburg (ZMH), The Coleopterists Bulletin 75 (1), pp. 191-210 : 195-196

Cassida aspectabilis Spaeth, 1914 ( Figs. 13–14 )

Cassida aspectabilis Spaeth 1914a: 557 .

Type Localities. “südlichen Vorderindien, besonders bei Shembaganur und Dindigul [ India: Tamil Nadu: Senbahanoor and Dindigul ]” .

Type Specimens Examined. Syntype: glued, “ Cassida | aspectabilis [t & hw, w, cb] || Spaeth det. | Cotyp.! [t & hw, w, cb] || Shembagan. | Travancor [hw by F. Spaeth, w, cb] || Madura (1916) | Vordeindien [hw, y, cb; label subsequently added by E. Ross] || Cassida | aspectabilis | 113.) Spaeth. | Vorderindien [hw, y, bf, cb] || ZMH 824674 [w, bf, sf]” ( ZMH) .

Current Status. Synonym of Cassida dorsonotata Boheman, 1854 .

Remarks. Spaeth (1914a) described this taxon based on a large series of specimens from various localities in southern India and stated that it is distinct from all Indian species of Cassida based on the subtriangular shape of the body. He also stated that specimens of Cassida dorsonotata Boheman, 1854 from Boheman’ s collection are in fact C. aspectabilis and do not match the original description of C. dorsonotata . Thus, he did not consider them as types of the latter species and followed Weise (1897), who suggested the species to be identical to Boheman’ s C. dorsonotata . Borowiec (1997) studied types of both taxa, synonymized C. aspectabilis with C. dorsonotata , and designated a lectotype for the latter. We have examined types of C. dorsonotata in the Boheman collection, and they are slightly less triangular-shaped and much paler in color in comparison to Spaeth’ s C. aspectabilis . Clearly this is only intraspecific variability, and we agree with Borowiec’ s synonymy.

Figures

Figs. 1–16. Type specimens of Cassidinae s. str. deposited at the Zoological Museum Hamburg. 1–4) Agenysa boliviana Spaeth, syntypes; 5–6) Androya obscuricollis (Fairmaire), syntype; 7–8) Aspidimorpha (s. str.) plasoni Spaeth, syntype; 9–10) Basiprionota sarawacensis (Spaeth), syntype; 11–12) Botanochara convexiuscula Spaeth, syntype; 13–14) Cassida aspectabilis Spaeth, syntype; 15–16) Cassida kristenseni Spaeth, syntype.