Xiphispa Chapuis 1878: cxlv

Synonomys

nONE.

Type Species

Oxycephala coquereli Fairmaire.

Diagnosis

Xiphispa 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 narrow 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
  with seta in each anterior angle
• elytra with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row basally, 10 apically
• prosternum prosternum:
  contains two anterior coxal cavities
  with anterior margin projecting forward, partly covering mouth

Description

Body elongate; subparallel; subconvex; color reddish-brown with darker stripes; total length 12.0 to 20.5 mm.

Head: vertexvertex:
occupies the area behind and between the eyes
with medial sulcus; frontal horn narrow, subacute, subequal in length to antennomere 1; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
large, subrounded.

Antenna: filiform; rigid; cylindrical; with 11-antennomers; antennomere 1 incrassate, as long as 2 to 4 combined; 2 shortest; 3 little longer than 2 and each of the following; 11 pointed at apex.

Pronotum: conical, longer than wide, narrowing from base to apex; lateral margin straight, margined; anterior angle acute, projecting, with seta; anterior margin truncate; posterior angle acute; posterior margin bisinuate; surface strongly, sparsely punctate.

Scutellum: cordate; impunctate.

Elytron: lateral margin straight, narrowing toward apex; exterior apical angle rounded; apical margin truncate; humerus angulate, not produced; with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row basally, 10 apically; interspace 7 costate.

Venter: prosternumprosternum:
contains two anterior coxal cavities
with anterior margin projecting forward, partly covering mouth.

Leg; short; robust; pro- and mesofemora curved, metafemur dilated apically; tibiatibia:
variable in length; joins femur and tarsus
very short.

Distribution

Madagascar.

World Fauna

Described species: 1- Xiphispa coquereli (Fairmaire) (Staines 2012).

Hosts

Unknown.

References

Chapuis, F. 1878. Descriptions de deux generes nouveaux de la famille des Phytophages. Annales de la Société Entomolgique Belgique 21:cxliii-cxlvi.

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