Prosopodonta Baly 1858: 68

Synonomys

Cheirispa Baly 1858: 71.

Chirispa Gemminger and Harold 1876: 3604

Type Species

Prosopodonta limbata Baly.

Diagnosis

Prosopodonta can be distinguished by following combination of characters:

• the lateral margin 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
  having a seta in each angle
• the elytra having a short scutellar row of punctures
• 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
  not having the anterior angle distinctly rounded
• the antennae having 11-antennomeres with the apical antennomeres being slightly thickened
• elytra without costae

Description

Head: nearly attenuate, almost cylindrical, egg‑shaped, small; medal sulcus absent; clypeusclypeus:
usually quadrangular, elongate; joined to the labrum
prolonged into a carina between antennal bases; antennaantenna:
3 to 11 segments, inserted in antennal pit in front of eyes
separated by a sharp keel.

Antenna: with 11-antennomeres, filiform; antennomeres 1 and 2 subequal in length, thick; 3 longest, cylindrical, as long as 1 and 2 combined; 4 to 6 shorter, oblong, decreasing in length; 7 to 11 short, slightly dilated; antennomeres 7 to 11 slightly thickened.

Pronotum: transverse; margined laterally and basally; scattered coarse punctures posteriorly on lateral margin; seta present in posterior angle.

Scutellum: cuspidate (pointed at apex); longer than wide; rounded at apex.

Elytron: oblong; nearly 1/4 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
; margined laterally; apex rounded; punctures little impressed, no costae; with 10 rows of punctures plus scutellar row.

Leg: profemur toothed or not.

Distribution

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panamá, Peru, and Venezuela.

World Fauna

Described species: 26 (Staines 2012). Key to species: none.

Hosts

Costus sp. (Costaceae); Heliconia (Heliconiaceae); Chamaedorea, Cryosophila, Oenocarpus (Arecaceae).

References

Baly, J. S. 1858. Catalogue of Hispidae in the collection of the British Museum. London, 172 pp.

Gemminger, M. & B. von Harold. 1876. Catalogus Coleopterum hucusque descriptorum, synonymicus et systematicus. Williams & Norgate, London. Vol. 12: 3479-3822.

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