Brontispa Sharp (1903) 1904: 924

Synonomys

Bronthispa (misspelling).

Oxycephala Baly 1858: 73 (not Guérin-Méneville).

Xiphispa (Chapuis) (misidentification).

Planispa Chûjô 1937: 223.

Type Species

Oxycephala longissima Gestro (= Brontispa froggatti Sharp).

Diagnosis

Brontispa 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
• head with frontal horn between antennae, wider than long, eyeeye:
  elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
  prominent
• antennae filiform, antennomere 1 without spine-like process
• 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
  without seta in each anterior angle, anterior angle prominent, tooth-like
• elytra with more than 8 rows of punctures basally and apically and scutellar row
• anterior margin of prosternumprosternum:
  contains two anterior coxal cavities
  not projecting forward, not partly covering mouth

Description

Body elongate, narrow; flattened; subparallel; color brown, sometimes with black markings; total length 5.5 to 10.5 mm.

Head: short; with quadrate cephalic plate, punctate, with medial sulcus; frontal horn narrow, elongate, rounded at apex; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
large, convex.

Antenna: filiform; reaches to humerus; with 11-antennomeres; antennomere 1 incrassate, as long as 2 and 3 combined; 4 to 10 subequal in length, each longer than 3; 11 longer than 10, pointed at apex.

Pronotum: subquadrate; lateral margin slightly sinuate, finely margined; anterior angle prominent, tooth-like, without seta; anterior margin curved; posterior angle acute; posterior margin weakly bisinuate; flattened; punctate.

Scutellum: subtriangular.

Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth; exterior apical angle rounded; apex rounded or truncate; humerus rounded, not produced; with more than 8 rows of punctures basally and apically, scutellar row present; no costae.

Venter: anterior margin of prosternumprosternum:
contains two anterior coxal cavities
not projecting forward, not partly covering mouth.

Leg: short; robust; femurfemur:
largest part of the leg; more or less cylindrical, attached at base to trochanter and at apex to tibia
thickened; tibiatibia:
variable in length; joins femur and tarsus
short.

Distribution

Australia, Bismarck Islands, Cambodia, China, Hawaii, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Marianas, Mauritius, Micronesia, Myanmar, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New Hebrides, Norfolk Island, Philippines, Rodriguez, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tahiti, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.

World Fauna

Described species: 22 (Staines 2012). Key: Gressitt 1955, 1957b, 1960a, 1960b.

Hosts

Calamus (Araceae); Archontophoenix, Areca, Arenga, Balaka, Bentnickiopsis, Caryota, Chrysalidocarpus, Clinostigma, Cocos, Collinia, Dictyosperma, Exorrhiza, Freycinetia, Howea, Hyophorbe, Kentia, Latania, Mascarena, Metroxylon, Normanbya, Oreodoxa, Phoenix, Ravenea, Rhapis, Roystonea, Satakentia, Syagrus, Veitchia, Washingtonia (Aracaceae); Cyperaceae; Pandanus (Pandanaceae); Eulalia, Saccharum (Poaceae); Alpinia (Zingiberaceae).

References

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

Chûjô, M. 1937. Descriptions of two hispid-beetles, belonging to a new genus, from the South SeasIslands under Japanese Mandate (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Transactions of the Natural History Society of Formosa 27:222-228.

Gressitt, J. L. 1955. Insects of Micronesia Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Insects of Micronesia 17(1):1‑60.

Gressitt, J. L. 1957b. Hispine beetles from the South Pacific (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Nova Guinea n. s. 8:205‑324.

Gressitt, J. L. 1960a. Papuan-West Polynesian hispine beetles (Chrysomelidae). Pacific Insects 2:1-90.

Gressitt, J. L. 1960b. Hispine beetles from New Caledonia (Chrysomelidae). Pacific Insects 2:101‑123.

Sharp, D. 1903(1904). Description of a new genus and species of Coleoptera (Family Hispidae) from New Britain. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1903:924-925.

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