Agonita (s. str.) Strand 1942: 391

Synonomys

None.

Type Species

Gonophora wallacea Baly.

Diagnosis

Agonita (Agonita) can be distinguished by the following combination of characters:

• lateral margin of pronotumpronotum:
  occupies all of dorsal part of the prothorax; in anterior angles or posterior angles there may be a small tubercle or pore with a seta
  and elytra without long, stiff spines
• body broad
• head without frontal horn between antennae, clypeusclypeus:
  usually quadrangular, elongate; joined to the labrum
  well developed
• pronotum pronotum:
  occupies all of dorsal part of the prothorax; in anterior angles or posterior angles there may be a small tubercle or pore with a seta
  with seta in each posterior angle, narrower than base of elytra, strongly convex, with 2 deep impressions basally
• elytra without scutellar row of punctures, parallel-sided, humerus angulate, glabrous, tricostate
• tarsi with 2 claws

Description

Body broad; subparallel; convex; glabrous; color brown, black or combination thereof; total length 4 to 15 mm.

Head: wide; vertexvertex:
occupies the area behind and between the eyes
impunctate, slightly depressed; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
convex, prominent; clypeusclypeus:
usually quadrangular, elongate; joined to the labrum
well-developed.

Antenna: thickens apically; reaches to humerus; antennomeres small; 3 longest; generally with setae but some species with 1 and 2 glabrous.

Pronotum: narrowing from base to apex; lateral margin straight or slightly sinuate, margined or not, smooth; convex; surface punctate, with 2 impressions basally.

Scutellum: narrow; elongate.

Elytron: lateral margin straight, some species slightly expanding apically; humerus angulate; with 8 rows of punctures; tricostate.

Venter: pro-, meso-, and metasterna punctate laterally.

Leg: tarsi with 2 claws.

Distribution

Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cameroon, China, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.

World Fauna

Described species: 108 (Staines 2012). Key: Maulik 1919, Chûjô 1933, Gressitt 1950, Gressitt & Kimoto 1963a.

Hosts

Kunthia (Arecaceae); Impatiens (Balsaminaceae); Stereospermum (Bignoniaceae); Combretum (Combretaceae); Carex (Cyperaceae); Bridelia (Euphorbiaceae); Aeschynomene, Isoberlinia (Fabaceae); Smilax (Liliaceae); Urena (Malvaceae); Maranthochloa, Thalia (Marantaceae); Lophira (Ochnaceae); Jussiaea (Onagraceae); Arundina, Coelogyne, Phalaenopsis, Spathoglottis, Vanda (Orchidaceae); Pandanus (Pandanaceae); Andropogon, Arundinaria, Bambusa, Hyparrhenia, Loudetia, Miscanthus, Panicum, Phyllostachys, Sporobolus, Yushania (Poaceae); Rubiaceae; Cissus (Vitaceae).

References

Baly, J. S. 1858. Catalogue of Hispidae in the collection of the BritishMuseum. London, 172 pp.

Chen, S. H., C. C. Tan, P. Y. Yu, & T. H. Sun. 1962. Results of the zoologico-botanical expedition to southwest China 1955-57 (Coleoptera, Hispidae II). Acta Entomologica Sinica 11(Suppl.):120-138.

Chûjô, M. 1933. Studies on the Chrysomelidae in the Japanese Empire (IV). Transactions of the Natural History Society of Formosa 23:305‑334.

Gressitt, J. L. 1950. The hispine beetles of China (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Lingnan Science Journal 23(1-2):53-142.

Gressitt, J. L. & S. Kimoto. 1963a. The Chrysomelidae (Coleopt.) of China and Korea. Part 2. Pacific Insects Monograph 1B:301‑1026.

Maulik, S. 1919. Hispinae and Cassidinae of India, Burma and Ceylon. The fauna of British India. Taylor & Francis, London. 439 pp.

Staines, C. L. 2012. Tribe Gonophorini. Catalog of the hispines of the world (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae). http://entomology.si.edu/Collections_Coleoptera.html

Strand, E. 1942. Miscellanea nomenclatorica zoologica et palaeontologica X. Folia Zoologica et Hydrobiologica 11:386-402.

Weise, J. 1905b. Zweites Verzeichnis der Hispinen und Cassidine aus Vorder-Indien. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1905:113-129.