Cassida rhodesiaca Spaeth, 1928

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 : 134-135

Cassida rhodesiaca Spaeth, 1928

( figs. 39 , 274–275)

Cassida rhodesiaca Spaeth, 1928: 11 ; Borowiec, 1999 a: 277.

Description. L: 5.50 mm, W: 3.60 mm, Lp: 1.90 mm, Wp: 3.10 mm, L/W: 1.53, Wp/Lp: 1.63. Body elongate–oval, with maximum width in the middle (fig. 274).

Pronotum ad scutellum yellow. Elytra yellow, irregular punctures in humeral area and from half of disc to slope marked with red thus along each elytron runs indistinct red stripe interrupted in anterior 1/3 length (figs. 274, 275). Ventrites, legs and antennae yellow, last four antennal segments slightly infuscate.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width in the middle, sides subangulate. Disc indistinctly bordered from explanate margin. Disc a top with two large impressions. Surface of disc moderately punctate, punctures dense, distance between them mostly as wide as puncture diameter, intervals slightly convex thus surface of disc appears slightly irregular. Punctation of explanate margin shallow, surface appears slightly irregular, partly transparent with well visible honeycomb structure. Entire surface of pronotum glabrous and slightly shiny.

Base of elytra not wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles distinctly protruding anterad, angulate. Base of disc extremely fine crenulate. Disc unevenly convex in profile, with top of convexity in postscutellar point but not angulate or tuberculate in profile (fig. 275). Postscutellar impressions shallow, surrounded by slightly convex second interval. No lateral or apical impressions. Punctation coarse and dense, distance between punctures from as wide as to slightly narrower than puncture diameter. Punctures partly arranged in rows partly irregular. Usually are well marked two sutural rows between top and margin of disc, three complete rows externally, and more or less regular 2–3 short rows in central part of disc. Punctures in postscutellar impressions and red marked punctures in humeral and central part of disc almost completely irregular. Marginal row distinct, its punctures almost twice coarser than punctures in central part of disc. Intervals mostly invisible, except linear and slightly convex interval 1 and 2, rudiment of interval 3 in the middle of disc, and well marked submarginal and marginal interval. Marginal interval broad, almost thrice wider than linear submarginal interval. Interspaces between punctures slightly convex and entire surface of disc appears slightly irregular. Explanate margin strongly declivous, narrow, in the widest part less than six times narrower than disc, its surface coarsely, deeply punctate, appears irregular but transparent with well marked honeycomb structure. Apex of elytral epipleura without setae.

Eyes large, gena obsolete. Clypeus broad, 1.3 times as wide as broad, frontal grooves very fine, runs close to inner margin of eyes. Frontal plate trapezoidal, flat, smooth and shiny. Labrum very shallowly emarginate. Antennae stout, segments 9–10 slightly transverse, segment 3 approximately 1.2 times longer than 2 and as long as segment 4.

Prosternal collar distinct, as long as length of apical segment of palpi. Prosternal process broad, flat between fore coxa, apex rhomboidal.

Claws with large basal tooth.

Distribution. Angola and Zambia ( fig. 39 ).

Remarks. Cassida rhodesiaca A member of the Cassida viridipennis species–group reviewed by Spaeth (1928). It differs from all members of the group in a slim body with L/W ratio above 1.5 and elytral punctures in humeral and posterolateral area each with a red centre (figs. 274, 275).

Type examined. Two syntypes: [ ZAMBIA]: Nama –ula, III 1915, H.C. Dollman ( BMNH, MM) .

Other specimens examined. ANGOLA: Central Bié Prov., Catabola , 17–27 XI 2012, 1, T. Lackner leg. ( BMNH) .

Figures

FIGURE 39. Distribution of Cassida rhodesiaca (black circles), Cassida rogozinskii (black sq uare) and Cassida circumflexa (black diamond).