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Oxycephala Guerin 1830: 142

Synonomys

Oxycephalus Guérin-Méneville (misspelling).

Type Species

Oxycephala cornigera Guérin-Méneville.

Diagnosis

Oxycephala 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 rectangular or trapezoidal frontal horn
  • 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 seta in each anterior angle
  • elytra with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row basally, 10 rows apically
  • 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 margin not expanding forward

Description

Body elongate; subparallel; subconvex; color reddish-brown with black markings; total length 9.5 to 12.0 mm.

Head: quadrate; cephalic plate quadrate, with anterior margin tridentate, middle projection forms frontal horn; frontal horn rectangular or trapezoidal, as wide at base and apex; maxillary palps filiform, with palpomere 1 short, 2 longer, claviform, 3 obconic, ½ length of 2, 4 subequal in length to 2, truncate at apex; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
large, convex.

Antenna: filiform; reaches past 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 incrassate; 2 to 10 subcylindrical, subequal in length; 11 longer than 10, pointed at apex.

Pronotum: quadrate; lateral margin straight; anterior angle oblique, with seta; anterior margin curved; posterior angle acute; posterior margin bisinuate; surface with large punctures.

Scutellum: pentagonal.

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

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

Leg: short; robust; profemur more developed than others; tibiatibia:
variable in length; joins femur and tarsus
short, obliquely truncate at apex.

Distribution

New Ireland.

World Fauna

Described species: 1- Oxycephala cornigera Guérin-Méneville (Staines 2012).

Hosts

Calamus sp. (Areceae); Cocos, Pinanga (Arecaceae); Heliconia sp? (Heliconiaceae).

References

Guérin-Méneville, F. E. 1830. Crustacées, arachnides et insectes. In: L. I. Duperrey (ed.). Voyage autour du monde: executé par order du roi, sur la corvette de Sa Majesté, sur la Coquille, pendant les anneés 1822, 1823, 1824 et 1825. Zoologie II 2:1-319.

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

Oxycephala habitus.

Oxycephala habitus.