Sceloenopla Chevrolat 1836: 350

Synonomys

Cephalodonta Chevrolat 1836: 388 (nomen nudum).

Cephalodonta Chevrolat 1843: 350.

Chalepotatus (Macrochalepus) Pic 1929: 4.

Microdonta Chevrolat 1836: 388, not Hope 1837.

Type Species

Hispa maculata Olivier (=Hispa spinipes Fabricius).

Diagnosis

Sceloenopla can be distinguished by the following combination of characters:

• the lateral margins 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
  with a seta in each anterior angle
• the apex of the elytra lacking a tooth-like projection
• the elytra being costate with 4 costae
• the antennae having 11-antennomeres which are not thickened at apex, the apical four antennomeres being longer than the preceding
• the more or less flattened body
• the slender legs
• the sides of the elytra not almost vertical from costa 3

Description

Varying in form.

Head: small, slightly convex; medial sulcus present; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
slightly prominent.

Antenna: with 11-antennomeres; apical 4 antennomeres longer than preceding 4; antennomere 3 longest.

Pronotum: trapezoidal, slightly convex; basal impression present; densely punctate; anterior angle prominent, directed forward; posterior angle directed obliquely backwards.

Scutellum: quadrate.

Elytron: lateral margin smooth; apical margin dentate or not; external apical angle may have lamina or tooth; humerus produced; secondary punctures between intervals 2 and 4 absent.

Distribution

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guatemala, Guyana, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, and Venezuela.

World Fauna

Described species: 142 (Staines 2012). Key to species: Uhmann (1937), species groups; Monrós & Viana (1947), Argentina; Staines (1996), Nicaragua; Staines (2002), Central America.

Hosts

Persea (Lauraceae); Chrysophyllum (Sapotaceae); Anthurium, Philodendrum (Araceae); Cocos (Arecaceae); Lonchocarpus (Fabaceae); Rapanea (Myrsinaceae); Esembeckia (Rutaceae); Cecropia, Pourouma (Cecropiaceae); Rubiaceae; Cyclanthaceae; Cupania (Sapindaceae); Clusia (Clusiaceae); Davilla (Dilleniaceae); Sterculia (Sterculiaceae).

References

Chevrolat, L. A. A. 1836. in P. F. M. A. Dejean, Catalogue des Coléoptères de la collection de M. le comte Dejean. Troisième edition, revue, corrigée et augmentée, livr. 5, pp. 385‑503. Mequignon-Marvis. Paris.

Chevrolat, L. A. A. 1843. in C. D. d'Orbigny, Dictionnaire universal d'histoire naturelle. Vol. 3. C. Renard. Paris. 744 pp.

Monrós, F. & M. J. Viana. 1947. Revisión sistemática de los Hispidae Argentinos (Insecta, Coleop. Chrysomeloid.). Anales del Museo Argentino Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" 42:125-324.

Pic, M. 1929. Coléoptères de l'Amérique Méridionale. Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina 2:183-184.

Staines, C. L. 1996. The Hispinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of Nicaragua. Revista Nicaragüense de Entomología 37/38:1-65.

Staines, C. L. 2002. Nomenclatural notes and new species of Sceloenoplini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae). Zootaxa 89:1-32.

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

Uhmann, E. 1937. Hispinen-Minen aus Costa Rica. II. Teil. 62. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Hispinen (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Arbeiten über physiologische und angewandte Entomologie aus Berlin-Dahlem 4:61-66.