Stenispa Baly 1858: 13

Synonomys

None.

Type Species

Hispa metallica Fabricius.

Diagnosis

Stenispa 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 without long, stiff spines
• body elongate, parallel-sided
• the head without a frontal horn; mouthparts not projecting forward
• 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, wider than long
• the apex of the elytra without a tooth-like projection
• the elytra without costae, parallel-sided, posterior margin smooth, slightly wider than base of pronotum
• the antennae with 11-antennomeres, filiform

Description

Body cylindrical or flattened; parallel‑sided or narrowing posteriorly.

Head: small, rounded; fronsfrons:
upper anterior portion of head capsule above the clypeus
concave; maxillary palp with palpomere 1 small, 2 and 3 obconical, subequal in length and width, 4 oval, acuminate; antennaantenna:
3 to 11 segments, inserted in antennal pit in front of eyes
inserted close to eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
in shallow pits, divided by longitudinal keel; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
oval, finely faceted, slightly prominent.

Antenna: with 11‑antennomeres; antennomeres 1 to 2 subglobose; 3 to 10 cylindrical, 3 longer than 4; 11 subacute, slightly dilated toward apex.

Pronotum: quadrate; slightly narrower than elytra; anterior margin rounded; lateral margin straight.

Scutellum: pentagonal or subcylindrical.

Elytron: elongate; slightly convex; narrowing apically; lateral and apical margins finely dentate; with 10 rows of punctures plus scutellar row.

Venter: metepisternum very narrow at middle; prosternumprosternum:
contains two anterior coxal cavities
narrow, longitudinally furrowed; abdominal sternites 1 and 2 with suture obsolete in middle.

Leg: short; robust; femurfemur:
largest part of the leg; more or less cylindrical, attached at base to trochanter and at apex to tibia
stout; tibiatibia:
variable in length; joins femur and tarsus
not arcuate, slightly flattened; tarsomeres dilated, densely pubescent beneath, tarsomere 4 with nearly half its length projecting beyond 3; claws stout, moderately arcuate, divaricate.

Distribution

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, United States.

World Fauna

Described species: 21 (Staines 2012). Key: Monrós & Viana (1947); Staines (2006).

Hosts

Carex, Cyperus, Scirpus (Cyperaceae); Andropogon, Paspalum, Spartina (Poaceae).

References

Baly, J. S. 1858. Catalogue of Hispidae in the collection of the BritishMuseum. London, 172 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.

Staines, C. L. 2006. The hispine beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) of America north of Mexico. VirginiaMuseum of Natural History Special Publication Number 13. 178 pp.

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