Pleurispa Weise 1901: 230

Synonomys

Peronycha Weise 1909: 112.

Type Species

Pleurispa misella Weise.

Diagnosis

Pleurispa 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 stiff spines
• antennae with 11-antennomeres, antennomere 1 with or without spine
• 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 without spines
• tarsal claws totally fused

Description

Body small; elongate; subparallel; subconvex; color black; total length 3.0 to 4.0 mm.

Head: large; convex; vertexvertex:
occupies the area behind and between the eyes
punctate, with medial sulcus, with setae along inner margin of eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
large, convex.

Antenna: 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
; expanding apically; with 11-antennomeres; antennomere 1 subincrassate, with or without spine; 2 obconic, ¾ length of 1; 3 to 6 decreasing in length; 7 to 10 transverse, subequal in length; 11 rounded at apex; 1 to 6 with scattered setae; 7 to 11 setose.

Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin sinuate, rounded; with 5 spines- 2 bifurcate spines plus a single (2+2+1); anterior angle rounded; anterior margin curved forward, without spines; posterior angle acute; posterior margin weakly bisinuate; surface punctate, each puncture with white seta, with longitudinal medial depression.

Scutellum: cordate.

Elytron: lateral margin straight, with short spines; exterior apical angle and apical margin rounded, with short spines; humerus rounded, not produced; with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row, each puncture with white seta; disc with very short spines.

Leg: slender; punctate, each puncture with white seta; tarsal claws totally fused.

Distribution

Madagascar, Togo.

World Fauna

Described species: 4 (Staines 2012). Key: none.

Hosts

Unknown.

References

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. 1901. Afrikanische Hispinen. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1901:224-240.

Weise, J. 1909. Hispinen und Coccinelliden aus Madagaskar. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 75:111-125.