Cassida vespertilio Boheman, 1862

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 : 170-171

Cassida vespertilio Boheman, 1862

(figs. 50, 136–137)

Cassida vespertilio Boheman, 1862: 310 ; Gemminger & Harold, 1876: 3659; Shaw, 1963: 457; Heron & Borowiec, 1997: 635; Borowiec, 1999 a: 292.

Cassida (Cassida) vespertilio: Spaeth, 1914 b: 119 .

Cassida muirana Sharp in Muir & Sharp, 1904: 13; Heron & Borowiec, 1997: 635 (as syn.).

Cassida (Cassida) muirana: Spaeth, 1914 b: 119 .

Description. L: 4.00 mm, W: 3.15–3.20 mm, Lp: 1.40–1.45 mm, Wp: 2.40–2.55 mm, L/W: 1.25–1.27, Wp/Lp: 1.71–1.76. Body short–oval (fig. 136).

Pronotum and scutellum yellow. Elytral disc yellow with black pattern: two round spots behind scutellum, two round spots in the middle approximately twice larger than postscutellar spots, bands along size of disc and marble pattern on slope, explanate margin of elytra yellow with brown to black. broad humeral spot not extending to basal and lateral margin of elytra, moderately broad posterolateral spots not extending to lateral margin of elytra and narrow sutural spot (figs. 136, 137). In pale specimens posterolateral spots reduced to small patch close to border of disc and sutural spot obsolete. In the darkest form elytral disc mostly black except few small yellow spots on top of disc and all spots on explanate margin complete. Head brown to black, thorax black, abdomen completely black or surrounded by yellow. Coxa and trochanters brown, rest of legs yellow or femora infuscate to 1/4 length. Antennae uniformly yellow or apical segments 5–11 more or less infuscate.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width behind the middle, anterior margin regularly convex, sides narrowly rounded, no basal corners. Disc indistinctly bordered from explanate margin except short lateral impressions. Surface of disc shiny, with fine and sparse pricks. Explanate margin broad, impunctate, shiny, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure.

Base of elytra slightly wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anterad, subrounded. Disc regularly convex in profile, without impressions (fig. 137), without H–shaped elevation but in postscutellar area second interval forms short longitudinal elevation homologous to lateral branches of H–shaped elevation in other species, also in posterior part the second interval slightly elevated. Punctation moderately coarse arranged in completely regular rows, dense, distance between punctures from twice narrower to as wide as puncture diameter. Marginal row distinct, its punctures as coarse as in central rows. Intervals flat to slightly convex, mostly as wide as rows, marginal interval as wide as submarginal interval and submarginal row combined, usually without humeral or lateral folds but elevated interspaces between punctures of marginal row sometimes look like fold of marginal interval. Explanate margin moderately broad, moderately declivous, in the widest part 4.5 times narrower than disc, surface shiny with shallow, moderately coarse punctation, looks slightly irregular, transparent with well visible honeycomb structure.

Eyes very large, gena obsolete. Clypeus moderately broad, approximately 1.2 as wide as long. Clypeal grooves fine but well marked, converging in arch, surface of clypeus with shallow to deep apical impression, its surface shiny with several very small, setose punctures. Labrum shallowly emarginate. Antennae stout, segments 9–10 slightly transverse. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:47:67:70:60:47:53:57:50:53:107. Segment 3 approximately 1.4 times as long as segment 2 and slightly shorter than segment 4.

Prosternum moderately broad in the middle, moderately expanded apically, area between coxa flat, shiny, without special sculpture except rows of setose punctures along sides and few setose punctures in the middle, expanded apex very convex medially and impressed laterally, shiny, without special sculpture except few setose punctures in the middle and in impressed sides.

Claws simple with broad base.

Host plants. Asteraceae : Berkheya speciosa (DC) O. Hoffm. , Berkheya sp. (H. Heron pers. comm.). Records from Solanum sp. by Muir & Sharp (1904) and Heron & Borowiec (1997) are certainly an error.

Distribution. South Africa (fig. 50).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida sphaerula species–group. This is the only species of the group with the elytral pattern forming humeral and posterolateral spots on the explanate margin of elytra (fig. 136). The dark elytral pattern of the darkest C. guttipennis occupies also a great part of theexplanate margin of elytra but this dark aberration well differs in its larger size, and pronotal and elytral disc mostly black ( fig. 161 ).

Types examined. Holotype of Cassida vespertilio Boheman, 1862 : [ SOUTH AFRICA]: Cap B. Spei (NRS); syntype of Cassida muirana Sharp, 1904 : [ SOUTH AFRICA]: Afr. mer. (ZMHU).

Other specimens examined. SOUTH AFRICA: E Cape, Silaka Reserve , 5-10 m, -31.6557 / 29.5059, 29 XI 2019, beach & sea, 1, P. Jałoszyński ( MNHW) ; Natal , 1 ( MNHW) ; Natal, Indaleni , 2, W. Hunt ( MRAC, MNHW) ; Natal, Ngeli Forest, 23 km NW of Harding, southern Natal , 30°31’31’’S, 29°40’23’’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal, Springside Nat. Res., Hillcrest , 29°46’S, 30°46’E, 1 ( HH) ; Transvaal, Johannesburg , XI 1928, 1, W.G. Kobrow ( TM) .

Figures

FIGURES 158–161. Cassida guttipennis. 158, 160–161. Dorsal; 159. Lateral.