Cassidispa Gestro 1899d: 174

Synonomys

None.

Type Species

Cassidispa mirabilis Gestro.

Diagnosis

Cassidispa 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 with long, stiff spines
• antennae with 7- to 9-antennomeres
• 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 anterior margin without spines, lateral margin with wide serrate lamina
• elytra with lateral margins broadly expanded

Description

Body stout, subconvex; with broad laminae on margins 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 with translucent patches; color yellow to reddish-brown with dark markings; total length 5.0 to 6.7 mm.

Head: small; vertexvertex:
occupies the area behind and between the eyes
rugose, with medial sulcus; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
large, convex.

Antenna: reaches to humerus; filiform; with 7- to 9-antennomeres; antennomere 1 incrassate, without spine; 3 longest.

Pronotum: broadly obconic; lateral margin rounded, with forwardly rounded serrate lamina, with irregular translucent patches; anterior angle rounded; anterior margin curved forward, without spines; posterior angle acute; posterior margin bisinuate; surface finely rugose, with transverse sulcus basally.

Scutellum: broadly triangular.

Elytron: lateral margin weakly sinuate; exterior apical angle rounded; apical margin rounded; lateral and apical margins with continuous broad lamina with serrate margin and fairly regular translucent patches; humerus rounded; with irregular rows of punctures; disc with tubercles.

Leg: long; slender.

Distribution

Angola, China, Congo, Russia, Zimbabwe.

World Fauna

Described species: 8 (Staines 2012). Key: Gressitt 1950, Gressitt & Kimoto 1963a.

Hosts

Betula (Betulaceae).

References

Gestro, R. 1899d. Nuove forme del gruppo delle Platypria. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova (2)20(40):172-176.

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.

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