Thoracispa Chapuis 1875: 335

Synonomys

None.

Type Species

Hispa (Thoracispa) dregei Chapuis.

Diagnosis

Thoracispa 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
• antennae with 11-antennomeres, antennomere 1 without 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 without spines, lateral margin with 15 to 30 spines
• elytral margins with 30 to 50 long, slender spines
• tarsal claws totally fused, pointed

Description

Body with 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
much narrower than base of elytra; slightly widening apically; subconvex; color dark brown; total length 4.0 to 6.1 mm.

Head: large; convex; vertexvertex:
occupies the area behind and between the eyes
punctate; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
small, flattened.

Antenna: reaches to humerus; filiform; with 11-antennomeres; antennomere 1 elongate, cylindrical, without spine; 2 obconic, ½ length of 1; 3 to 4 subequal in length, each longer than 2; 5 and 6 each shorter than 4; 7 longer than 6; 8 to 10 short; 11 pointed at apex.

Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin rounded, with a large flattened expansion with 15 to 30 radiating spines on margin; anterior angle rounded; anterior margin curved forward, without spines; posterior angle curved; posterior margin rounded; surface irregularly punctate.

Scutellum: triangular.

Elytron: exterior apical angle rounded; apical margin rounded; margins with between 30 to 50 long, slender spines; humerus rounded, with long, slender spines; with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row; disc with irregular rows of small spines.

Leg: tibiatibia:
variable in length; joins femur and tarsus
slightly dilated apically; tarsal claws totally fused, pointed.

Distribution

South Africa.

World Fauna

Described species: 3 (Staines 2012). Key: Weise 1897.

Hosts

Unknown.

References

Chapuis, F. 1875. in J. T. Lacordaire, Histoire naturelle des insectes. Genera des Coléoptères, Vol. 11, Famille des Phytophages, 420 pp. Encylopédique de Roret; Paris.

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

Weise, J. 1897. Kritisches Verzeichnifs der von Mr. Andrews eingesandten Cassidinen und Hispinen aus Indien. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1897:97-150.