Cassida heroni, 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 : 79-80

Cassida heroni sp. nov.

( figs. 20 , 239–240)

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DA79FB5C-7BB1-41D8-BAC5-85027DA04C0F

Etymology. Dedicated to Hugh Heron, an amateur entomologist from Queensburgh, South Africa, who prepared several interesting papers on biology of southern African cassids and sent us very interesting data on host plants of many species.

Description. L: 3.90–4.10 mm, W: 3.00–3.30 mm, Lp: 1.50–1.60 mm, Wp: 2.50–2.70 mm, L/W: 1.22–1.30, Wp/Lp: 1.68–1.74. Body short–oval (fig. 239).

Pronotum yellow. Scutellum yellow, elytral disc yellow with reddish to reddish brown small stripe on humeral callus, and two small stripes in posterolateral parts of disc, sometimes some punctures between posterolateral spots and suture with reddish to reddish brown centre, apex of suture narrowly reddish to brown, occasionally entire elytra yellow (figs. 239, 240). Explanate margin always yellow. Head, ventrites, legs and antennae uniformly yellow or last 2–4 antennal segments slightly infuscate.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum slightly in front of the middle, anterior margin regularly convex, sides rounded to subangulate, no basal corners. Disc indistinctly bordered from explanate margin with short and shallow lateral impressions. Surface of disc slightly alutaceous, with well marked and shallowly impressed area above head. Punctation of elevated parts of disc fine and sparse, distance between punctures mostly wider than puncture diameter, in some specimens surface appears impunctate. Area above head impunctate. Explanate margin broad, slightly alutaceous, impunctate, regular, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure.

Base of elytra slightly to moderately wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anterad, angulate. Disc regularly convex (fig. 240), with shallow postscutellar impressions, without principal impressions, without H–shaped elevation but sometimes on top of disc with rudimental elevated transverse fold. Punctation coarse, arranged in completely regular rows, dense, distance between punctures mostly narrower than puncture diameter. Marginal row distinct, its punctures slightly coarser than punctures in central rows, submarginal row complete. Intervals flat to slightly convex, on top of disc approximately as wide as rows, on sides narrower than rows to linear, marginal interval in anterior 1/4 length twice wider than submarginal one in posterior part only slightly wider than submarginal interval, no distinct lateral fold but interspaces in posterior half of the interval more or less convex. Surface of intervals alutaceous, regular. Explanate margin moderately broad, strongly declivous, in the widest part 4.5 times narrower than disc, surface alutaceous with shallow but coarse and moderately dense punctation, appears more or less irregular, semitransparent, honeycomb structure more or less visible.

Eyes very large, gena obsolete. Clypeus moderately broad, approximately as wide as long. Clypeal grooves fine, converging in angle, between groove and margin of eye runs row of setose punctures, surface of clypeal plate flat, shiny, with few very small punctures. Labrum narrowly emarginate to 1/5 length. Antennae stout, segments 9–10 distinctly transverse. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:50:88:71:58:54:54:50:50:50:117. Segment 3 approximately 1.7 times as long as segment 2 and approximately 1.2 times as long as segment 4.

Prosternum moderately broad in the middle, strongly expanded apically, area between coxa shallowly impressed, shiny, without special sculpture, expanded part with several moderately coarse, setose punctures.

Claws with large basal tooth.

Host plant. Acanthaceae : Asystasia gangetica (L.) T. Anderson ( Heron & Borowiec 1997, Heron 2003 under Cassida sp. nov. 1 = Cassida sp. nov. near C. andreinii: Spaeth 1933 b: 48 ).

Distribution. Mozambique and South Africa (Natal) ( fig. 20 ).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida andreinii species–group. Cassida heroni with C. andreinii Spaeth form a group of small cassids, with length below 4.6 mm; dorsum predominantly green to yellow with at most small reddish to brown spots, ventrites yellow; body oval to broadly–oval; pronotum elliptical, sides broadly rounded, no basal corners; base of elytra not or only slightly wider than pronotum, disc regularly convex, without hump, elytral rows regular, explanate margin narrow, strongly declivous and claws with large basal tooth. Cassida andreinii differs in a slimmer body with L/W ratio 1.33–1.47 and the explanate margin of elytra narrower and less explanate ( figs. 236–238 ) while in Cassida heroni the ratio is 1.22–1.30 and the explanate margin of elytra broader and more explanate (figs. 239, 240). The elytral pattern in C. andreinii is usually more distinct with small reddish spots on the postscutellar elevation, humeral calli and posterolateral parts of disc ( fig. 237 ) while in C. heroni postscutellar elevation is never spotted and spots on humeral calli and posterolateral parts of disc look like srtripe (fig. 239). Both species have pale forms with more or less reduced elytral spots but in C. andreinii the palest form has a small spot on the postcutellar elevation while in C. heroni the elytra are completely yellow.

Types examined. Holotype: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: Natal / Umkomaas / 9–13.3.57 / AL Capener ( MNHW); paratype: Natal / Umkomaas / 8.II.1962 / leg. A. L. Capener ( MNHW); paratype: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: Natal 8.II.1962 / Umkomaas / leg. A. L. Capener ( MNHW); paratype: [ SOUTH AFRICA]: RPA, Natal , Durban / Umbilo valley / ARC Trail 12–X–92 / H. Heron ( MNHW); three paratypes: [ MOZAMBIQUE]: MOC: 10 km O Rio das / Pedras Morrugula–Camp / 23°13’52’’S / 35°29’26’’O / 15.III.2010, leg. U. Heinig ( MNHW).

Other specimens examined. SOUTH AFRICA: Natal , Beachwood Mangroves Reserve, Durban, 29°48’S, 31°02’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Bluff Nat. Res. , Bluff, Durban, 31°00’S, 29°50’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Escombe, Queensburgh, 29°51’S, 30°59’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Kenneth Stainbank Nat. Res. , Yellowwood Park, Durban, 29°54’S, 30°56’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Mariannhill Monastery, Pinetown, 16 km W of Durban, 30°53’S, 30°50’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Maywille, Durban, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Montclair, Durban, 29°55’S, 30°58’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , North Park Nat. Res., Northdene, 29°51’S, 30°54’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Palmiet Nat. res., Westville, 29°49’S, 30°56’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Shongweno Resources Reserve, Umlaas valley, 29°51’S, 30°43’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Umbilo, Durban, 29°36’S, 30°23’E, 1 ( HH) .

Figures

FIGURE 20. Distribution of Cassida heroni (black circles) and Cassida humerosa (black diamonds).

FIGURES 236–238. Cassida andreinii. 239–240. Cassida heroni. 236–237, 239. Dorsal; 238, 240. Lateral.