Leucispa Chapuis 1875: 266

Synonomys

None.

Type Species

Eurispa odewahnii Baly.

Diagnosis

Leucispa 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, with tubercles at antennal bases
• 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 and posterior angle
• the apex of the elytra without a tooth-like projection, scutellar row present
• the prosternumprosternum:
  contains two anterior coxal cavities
  does not expand anteriorly to partly cover the mouth
• tarsal claws absent

Description

Body cylindrical, narrowing basally and apically; yellowish-brown, head, eyes, antennae, legs, and venter black; 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 longitudinal black medial vitta.

Head: vertexvertex:
occupies the area behind and between the eyes
broad, densely punctate; prolonged in front of eyes, ends in two tubercles on which are the antennaantenna:
3 to 11 segments, inserted in antennal pit in front of eyes
; mandibles thick, bidentate, with setae; maxillary palps subclaviform; labial palps small, subglobose; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
rounded.

Antenna: 1/3 body length; with 10-antennomeres, filiform; antennomere 1 cylindrical, thick; 2 2x length of 1; 3 to 9 subequal in length, each shorter than 2; 10 rounded at apex; punctate, each puncture with short whitish scale.

Pronotum: cylindrical; lateral margin straight, obsolete; anterior and posterior angles rounded; posterior margin bisinuate; surface densely punctate, each puncture with short whitish scale.

Scutellum: oblong, dilated apically.

Elytron: apex with elongate pointed projection; regularly punctate-striate, each puncture with short whitish scale; with 4 costae.

Venter: prosternumprosternum:
contains two anterior coxal cavities
large, dilated apically, base truncate; mesosternummesosternum:
narrow between middle coxae, separated from metasternum by a transverse suture; forming the anterior part of the middle coxal cavities
transverse.

Leg: short; femurfemur:
largest part of the leg; more or less cylindrical, attached at base to trochanter and at apex to tibia
without tooth; tibiatibia:
variable in length; joins femur and tarsus
with spine-like projection at apex; tarsal claws absent.

Distribution

Australia.

World Fauna

Described species: 1- Leucispa odewahnii (Baly) (Staines 2012).

Hosts

Unknown.

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.

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