Demotispa Baly 1858: 65

Synonomys

Demothispa Gemminger & Harold 1876: 3599.

Demosthispa Donckier 1899: 545.

Pseudimatidium Aslam 1965: 691.

Type Species

Demotispa pallida Baly.

Diagnosis

Demotispa can be distinguished by the following combination of characters:

• 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; mouthparts not projecting forward; interantennal carina distinct
• 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, rounded, anterior margin without notches
• the apex of the elytra without a tooth-like projection
• the elytra without costae, rounded
• the antennae with 11-antennomeres, filiform; antennomeres 1 to 2 subequal in length
• tibia tibia:
  variable in length; joins femur and tarsus
  not pointed externally

Description

Body elongate to elongate-oval, flattened.

Head: small; fronsfrons:
upper anterior portion of head capsule above the clypeus
vertical; antennal base with keel or may be broadly separated; interantennal carina distinct; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
slightly protruding; maxillary palp with palpomeres 2 to 4 subequal in length.

Antenna: with 11-antennomeres, long, filiform; antennomeres 1 to 2 short, subequal in length; subglobular; 3 longest, 4 to 11 subequal in length.

Pronotum: slightly narrower than base of elytra, transverse; lateral margin curved, narrowly laminate.

Scutellum: pentagonal, cuspidate behind.

Elytron: oblong‑oval, wider than 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
, convex, indented behind humerus; lateral margin often expanded, smooth; with 10 rows of punctures plus scutellar row.

Venter: prosternumprosternum:
contains two anterior coxal cavities
narrow; mesosternummesosternum:
narrow between middle coxae, separated from metasternum by a transverse suture; forming the anterior part of the middle coxal cavities
transverse; 4 visible abdominal sterna.

Leg: short; claws divaricate.

Distribution

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela.

World Fauna

Described species: 28 species (Staines 2012). Key to species: Spaeth (1938)- group 4; Uhmann (1937, 1948); Sanderson (1967).

Hosts

Arecastrum, Areca, Astrocaryum,Bactris, Chamaedorea, Cocos, Desmoncus, Elaeis, Geonoma, Phoenix, Pritchardia, Washingtonia (Arecaceae).

References

Aslam, N. A. 1965. OnHispoleptis Baly (Coleoptera, Hispidae) and Imatidium F. (Coleoptera, Cassididae). The Annals and Magazine of Natural History (13)8:687-693.

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

Donckier de Donceel, H. 1899. Catalogue systematique des Hispides. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 68:540‑615.

Gemminger, M. & B. von Harold. 1876. Catalogus Coleopterum hucusque descriptorum, synonymicus et systematicus. Williams & Norgate, London. Vol. 12:3479-3822.

Sanderson, M. W. 1967. New West Indian Hispinae, with notes and keys (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Caribbean Journal of Science 7:135‑139.

Spaeth, F. 1938. Die Gattung Himatidium Fabr. (Col. Cassidinae). Revista de Entomología Rio de Janiero 9:305-317.

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

Uhmann, E. 1937. Hispinen-Minen aus Costa Rica. II. Teil. 62. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Hispinen (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Arbeiten über physiologische und angewandte Entomologie aus Berlin-Dahlem 4:61-66.

Uhmann, E. 1948. Neue Hispinae aus Südamerika (Col. Chrysom.). 107. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Hispinae. Revista de Entomología Rio de Janeiro 19:207-230.