Abstract
The first instar and mature larva and pupa of Cassidisparelicta Medvedev, 1957, a newly recorded species from China, are described and figured. The chaetotaxy of the head, mouthparts, legs, and dorsal and ventral surfaces of the body is described. This is the first detailed description of immatures in the genus Cassidispa. Diagnostic characters of this species are compared with other described immatures of some Hispini genera. Biological notes on C.relicta, such as host plants, feeding patterns of adults, structure of larval mines and life history, are also presented.
Highlights
Cassidispa Gestro, 1899 is a leaf beetle genus belonging to the tribe Hispini Gyllenhal, 1813 (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), with eight species occurring in China, Russia, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe (Staines 2015)
The main diagnostic characters between Cassidispa and the similar genus Platypria Guérin-Méneville, 1840 are the lateral margins of pronotum expanded from base to anterior angle with irregular translucent patches, the continuous expanded margins of the elytra, the elytra with very low and obtuse tubercles, never with spines, and the lateral margins of elytra with numerous small spines not with long ones (Chen et al 1986)
As Dr Lukáš Sekerka pointed out, the species is Cassidispa relicta Medvedev, 1957 not C. mirabilis. Both species are superficially similar by predominantly black coloration but they are distinct: C. relicta has generally strongly shiny dorsum; C. relicta has shorter and thicker antennae, explanate margin of pronotum largely black; C. relicta has anterior spots on explanate margin of elytra almost reaching to humeri; elytra of C. relicta is very distinctly constricted in 3/4 length (Lukáš Sekerka, Personal Communications)
Summary
Cassidispa Gestro, 1899 is a leaf beetle genus belonging to the tribe Hispini Gyllenhal, 1813 (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), with eight species occurring in China, Russia, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe (Staines 2015). Four species are previously recorded from China: C. bipuncticollis Chen, 1941, C. femoralis Chen & Yu, 1976, C. maderi Uhmann, 1938 and C. mirabilis Gestro, 1899 (Chen et al 1986; T’an 1993; Hua 2002; Staines 2015). C. relicta is previously reported in Russia (Medvedev 1957; Staines 2015). It is a newly recorded species from China and China hosts all five Asian Cassidispa species now. We describe the larvae and pupa of C. relicta and provide the first detailed report on immature morphology and biological information for the genus Cassidispa
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