Hispoleptis Baly 1864a: 262

Synonomys

None.

Type Species

Promecotheca diluta Guérin-Méneville.

Diagnosis

Hispoleptis 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 lacking long, stiff spines
• the head lacking 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
  without a seta in any angle
• the apex of the elytra lacking a tooth-like projection
• the antennae having 11-antennomeres which are not thickened at apex, the apical four antennomeres being similar to the preceding
• elytra with no costae
• 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
  nearly quadrate
• body more or less cylindrical; color yellowish with black markings

Description

Moderately elongate, with patterns of black and yellow or reddish.

Head: vertexvertex:
occupies the area behind and between the eyes
impunctate; interantennal carina distinct, bluntly pointed; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
transverse, narrowed behind.

Antenna: filiform, more or less compressed apically; with 11-antennomeres; antennomere 1 subglobular; 2 very small; 3 longest; 4 to 10 progressively decreasing in length; 11 longer than 10; 3 to 11 with fine longitudinal carinae; apical 4 antennomeres with deep longitudinal depression on outer side.

Pronotum: almost as long as wide, more or less narrowing apically; at base almost straight, margined and transversely impressed; margined laterally.

Scutellum: impunctate.

Elytron: at humeri 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
, elongate, subparallel; deeply punctate; dentate apically; no costae.

Leg: procoxae closer together than meso‑ or metacoxae; mesotrochanter with sharp projection; femora progressively less incrassate from anterior to posterior; protibia with interior tuft of setae; mesotibia curved, with inner apical tooth; pro‑ and metatibiae straight, without teeth; first tarsomere of prolegs asymmetrical and much wider than on other tarsi; tarsomeres 2 and 3 with longitudinal medial depression on all legs.

Venter: prosternumprosternum:
contains two anterior coxal cavities
projecting in front in middle, transversely concave between coxae; abdominal sterna 1 and 2 connate, suture distinct; all sterna with impressions laterally.

Distribution

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, and Suriname.

World Fauna

Number of species: 5 (Staines 2011). Key to species: Aslam (1965); Berti & Chenon (1973).

Hosts

Astrocaryum, Cocos, Elaeis (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. 1864. Descriptions of genera and species of Hispidae. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History (3)14:261-271, 334-345.

Berti, N. & R. Desmier de Chenon. 1973. Coléoptères Hispinae d’Amerique du Sud nuisibles aux palmiers. Description d’une nouvelle espèce. Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France 80:192-198.

Staines, C. L. 2011. Tribe Hispoleptini. Catalog of the hispines of the world (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae). http://entomology.si.edu/Collections_Coleoptera.html