Pseudocalaspidea Jacobson 1899: 245

Synonomys

None.

Type Species

Alurnus cassidea Westwood.

Diagnosis

Pseudocalaspidea 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 tuft of setae in each angle and much narrower than the base of the elytra
• the filiform antennae having 11-antennomeres, with antennomere 3 as long as 4 to 6 combined
• the elytral punctures not being in regular rows
• the subcordiform (nearly heart-shaped) elytra lacking costae

Description

Body large (20-25 mm).

Head: pubescent; medial sulcus present; fronsfrons:
upper anterior portion of head capsule above the clypeus
punctate.

Antenna: with 11-antennomeres; 3 as long as 4 to 6 combined.

Pronotum: much narrower than elytra, convex; widest at base, narrowing anteriorly; pubescent, more dense on anterior and lateral margins; finely punctate; anterior angle rounded; with tuft of setae in each angle; basal margin bisinuate.

Scutellum: elongate, triangular.

Elytron: subcordiform (nearly heart-shaped), highly convex; with irregular punctures; no costae; humeral angle produced; laminate laterally.

Venter: pro-, meso-, and metasterna with setae; abdominal sterna pubescent; sterna 2 to 4 with pale pustule laterally; sternum 5 with sides and apex pale and pustulate.

Distribution

Colombia, Ecuador, México(?), and Peru.

World Fauna

Number of species: 1 (Staines 2012)- Pseudocalaspidea cassidea. Key to subspecies: Fischer (1935).

Hosts

Unknown.

References

Fischer, C. R. 1935. Os coleopteros phytophagos da tribu Alurnini, pragas das palmeiras (Chrysomelidae, Hispinae). Revista de Entomologica Rio de Janiero 5:257-292.

Jacobson, G. G. 1899. De genere Alurno (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae). Annuaire du Musée Zoologique de l'Académie Impériale des Sciences St. Pétersbourgh 4:245-256.

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