Stephanispa Gressitt 1960b: 111

Synonomys

None.

Type Species

Stephanispa freycineticola Gressitt.

Diagnosis

Stephanispa 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 without long, stiff spines
• head with small frontal horn between antennae
• antennomere 1 without spine-like process
• 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
  subquadrate, anterior angles without tooth
• elytra with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row basally expanding to 10 rows in middle and 12 or 13 rows at apex

Description

Body elongate; subparallel; subconvex; color reddish-brown with darker stripes; total length 6.0 to 9.0 mm.

Head: 2x as wide as long, narrowing anteriorly; vertexvertex:
occupies the area behind and between the eyes
punctate, with medial sulcus; frontal horn very short; clypeusclypeus:
usually quadrangular, elongate; joined to the labrum
wider than long.

Antenna: reaches to humerus; slightly thickening apically; with 11-antennomeres; antennomere 1 robust, elongate; 2 shorter; 3 longer than 2.

Pronotum: subquadrate; lateral margin feebly sinuate; anterior angle oblique, without tooth; anterior margin curved; posterior angle acute; posterior margin weakly bisinuate; surface irregularly, deeply punctate.

Scutellum: cordate.

Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth; exterior apical angle rounded; apical margin rounded; humerus rounded; with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row basally expanding to 10 rows in middle and 12 or 13 rows at apex; tricostate.

Leg: short; robust.

Distribution

New Caledonia.

World Fauna

Described species: 2 (Staines 2012). Key: Gressitt 1960b.

Hosts

Freycinetia (Arecaceae).

References

Gressitt, J. L. 1960b. Hispine beetles from New Caledonia (Chrysomelidae). Pacific Insects 2:101‑123.

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