Pseudispella Kraatz 1895: 198

Synonomys

Decispella Uhmann 1936d: 409 Nomen nudum.

Decispella Uhmann 1940e: 143.

Type Species

Hispa sulcicollis Gyllenhal.

Diagnosis

Pseudhispella 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 long, stiff spines
• antennomere 1 with 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 with bifurcate spine on each side
• tarsal claws fused at base

Description

Body small; subparallel; subconvex; color black; total length 2.7 to 5.4 mm.

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

Antenna: reaches to humerus; expanding apically; with 11-antennomeres; antennomere 1 incrassate, with long spine; 1 to 6 punctate, each puncture with white seta; 7 to 11 setose..

Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin rounded, with 3 spines- 1 bifurcate spine just before middle, and 1 single curved spine after middle (2+1); anterior angle rounded; anterior margin curved forward, with bifurcate spine on each side; posterior margin acute; posterior margin weakly bisinuate; surface irregularly punctate, each puncture with white seta.

Scutellum: cordate.

Elytron: lateral margin straight, with spines; exterior apical angle and apical margin rounded, with longer spines; humerus angulate, with 3 teeth; with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row, each puncture with white seta; disc with spines.

Leg: long; slender; tarsal claws fused at base.

Distribution

Cameroon, Congo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mozambique, Rhodesia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Zimbabwe.

World Fauna

Described species: 13 (Staines 2012). Key: none.

Hosts

Unknown.

References

Kraatz, G. 1895. Hispinae von Togo. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1895:189-200.

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

Uhmann, E. 1936d. Die Hispinen des "Musée du Congo Belge" 4. Teil. 60. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Hispinen (Col. Chrys.). Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines 28:407-415.

Uhmann, E. 1940e. Die Genotypen der von mir aufgestellten Hispinen-Gattung. 88. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Hispinen (Col. Chrys.). Entomologisk Tidskrift 61:143-144.