Charistena Baly 1864b: 251

Synonomys

None.

Type Species

Hispa ruficollis Fabricius.

Diagnosis

Charistena can be distinguished by the following combination of characters:

• body slender, parallel
• the lateral margins of the 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 the elytra without long, stiff spines
• the head without a frontal horn
• the 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
  with a seta in each anterior angle, finely margined, without lateral teeth
• the apex of the elytra without a tooth-like projection
• the elytra with 8 rows of punctures for entire length and 3 regular costae, humerus rounded without spine or tooth
• the antennae thickened at apex, with 10-antennomeres
• leg with apical tarsomere bearing 2 claws, mesofemora without tooth
• anterior margin of prosternumprosternum:
  contains two anterior coxal cavities
  not expanding toward mouth

Description

Head: small; fronsfrons:
upper anterior portion of head capsule above the clypeus
not prominent; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
finely granulate.

Antenna: with 10‑antennomeres; antennomere 1 stout, oval; 2 longer than 1; 3 longer than 2; 4 to 6 gradually shorter; 7 to 10 distinct, shorter than others.

Pronotum: subcylindrical, not clearly margined.

Elytron: elongate, parallel-sided; apex rounded; with 8 rows of coarse punctures; tricostate.

Leg: mesotibia strongly arcuate, inner apical angle acute, slightly prolonged; tarsomeres dilated, densely pubescent beneath; tarsomere 1 triangular, rather small; 2 reniform (kidney-shaped); 3 deeply bilobed; 4 slightly longer than lobes of 3; claws feebly curved, divergent.

Distribution

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela.

World Fauna

Described species: 6 (Staines 2012). Key: Monrós & Viana 1947.

Hosts

Panicum, Paspalum, Zea (Poaceae); Coffea (Rubiaceae).

References

Baly, J. S. 1864b. Further descriptions of new genera and species of Phytophaga. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London (3)2:251‑258.

Monrós, F. & M. J. Viana. 1947. Revisión sistemática de los Hispidae Argentinos (Insecta, Coleop. Chrysomeloid.). Anales del Museo Argentino Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" 42:125-324.

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