Octodonta Chapuis 1875: 289

Synonomys

Octodonta (Uhmannia) Spaeth 1936a: 282.

Type Species

Octodonta depressa Chapuis 1875.

Diagnosis

Octodonta 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 without long, stiff spines
• head with narrow, acuminate frontal horn between antennae, eyes prominent
• antenna antenna:
  3 to 11 segments, inserted in antennal pit in front of eyes
  reaches to base 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
  , antennomere 1 without spine-like process
• 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 anterior angles prominent, with 2 teeth; seta present in each anterior angle
• elytra with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row basally, 10 rows apically
• prosternum prosternum:
  contains two anterior coxal cavities
  with anterior margin not expanding forward

Description

Body elongate, narrow; subparallel; subdepressed; color yellowish to brownish with black markings.

Head: small; cephalic plate quadrate; frontal horn narrow, acuminate; labrumlabrum:
triangular, joined to the clypeus and the oral orifice
transverse, truncate; maxillary palps with palpomere 1 short, 2 and 3 obconic, 4 as long as 2 and 3 combined, oval; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
large, convex.

Antenna: filiform; reaches to base 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
; with 11-antennomeres; antennomere 1 oblong, large; 2 thinner, subequal in length to 3; 4 to 10 subcylindrical; 11 longer than 10, pointed at apex.

Pronotum: quadrate; lateral margin straight; anterior angle prominent, with 2 teeth, seta present; anterior margin curved; posterior angle emarginate; posterior margin bisinuate; convex; surface punctate.

Scutellum: pentagonal.

Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth; exterior apical angle rounded; apical margin truncate; humerus angulate, not produced; with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row basally, 10 rows apically; weakly tricostate.

Venter: prosternumprosternum:
contains two anterior coxal cavities
with anterior margin not expanding forward.

Leg: short; femurfemur:
largest part of the leg; more or less cylindrical, attached at base to trochanter and at apex to tibia
thick; tibiatibia:
variable in length; joins femur and tarsus
robust, emarginate medially.

Distribution

Indonesia, Malaysia, New Britain, New Guinea, New Ireland, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.

World Fauna

Described species: 10 (Staines 2012). Key: Gressitt 1957b, 1960a, 1963a.

Hosts

Calamus (Areceae); Aarchontophoenix, Areca, Chrysalidocarpus, Cocos, Corypha, Elaeis, Hyophorbe, Korthalsia, Livistonia, Metroxylon, Normanbya, Phoenix, Roystonea, Syagrus, Washingtonia (Arecaceae).

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.

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. 1963a. Hispine beetles (Chrysomelidae) from New Guinea. Pacific Insects 5:591‑714.

Spaeth, F. 1936a. Ueber die Australasiathischen Cryptonychini. Temminckia 1:277-294.

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