Hispellinus Weise 1897: 144

Synonomys

Monochirus Chapuis 1875: 330 (not Rafinesque).

Type Species

Hispa multispinosus Germar.

Diagnosis

Hispellinus 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
• 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 2 branched spines on a common base on anterior margin
• antennomere 1 with 1 spine
• tarsal claws totally fused, pointed at apex

Description

Body slightly elongate; subparallel; subconvex; surface sparsely covered with scale-like whitish or grayish setae; color black, some species with bluish tinge; total length 2.7 to 6.4 mm.

Head: small; rounded; labrumlabrum:
triangular, joined to the clypeus and the oral orifice
large, curved; mandible slightly compressed, bidentate; maxillary and labial palps very short; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
rounded.

Antenna: thickening apically; nearly ½ body length; with 11-antennomeres; antennomere 1 longer than 2 and 3 combined, cylindrical, with 1 spine; 3 to 5 subequal in length; 6 longer; 7 to 10 shorter; 7 to 11 forming loose club, sparsely setose.

Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin rounded, constricted near apex, with 3 spines on common base (3); anterior angle rounded; anterior margin curved, with 2 spines branched on a common base on each side; posterior angle acute; posterior margin straight; surface convex, sparsely punctate; disc with 2 shallow depressions.

Scutellum: cordate.

Elytron: lateral margin with subequal spines; exterior apical angle rounded with spines; apical margin rounded with spines; with 8 rows of deep punctures plus scutellar row; with stout discal spines or tubercles.

Leg: pro- and metatibiae short, emarginate at apex; mesotibiae curved; tarsal claws fused, pointed at apex.

Distribution

Australia, China, Congo, Guinea, India, Laos, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam.

World Fauna

Described species: 15 (Staines 2012). Key: Gressitt 1950, 1957b, 1960a; Gressitt & Kimoto 1963a; Chen et al. 1986.

Hosts

Bambusa, Centotheca, Hemarthria, Imperata, Miscanthus, Oryza, Saccharum, Themeda, Zizania (Poaceae).

References

Chapuis, F. 1875. in J. T. Lacordaire, Histoire naturelle des insectes. Genera des Coléoptères, Vol. 11, Famille des Phytophages, 420 pp. Encylopédique de Roret; Paris.

Chen, S. H., P. Y. Yu, C. H. Sun, C. H. T'an, & Y. Zia. 1986. Fauna Sinica (Insecta: Coleoptera: Hispidae). Science Press, Beijing. 653 pp.

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

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. & 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

Weise, J. 1897. Kritisches Verzeichnifs der von Mr. Andrews eingesandten Cassidinen und Hispinen aus Indien. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1897:97-150.