Cassida leleupi Borowiec & Świętojańska 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Borowiec, Lech
name: Świętojańska, Jolanta
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Chrysomelidae
Cassida
Cassida leleupi

description: Cassida leleupi sp. nov.
(figs. 15, 126–127)
http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A88E62B6-9924-4281-BFC5-C479973B3C3A
Description. L: 4.30–4.90 mm, W: 3.55–4.10 mm, Lp: 1.40–1.65 mm, Wp: 2.50–2.85 mm, L/W: 1.15–1.29, Wp/ Lp: 1.69–1.79. Body oval to almost circular, males slightly stouter than female (fig. 120).
Pronotum yellow, disc with large, black, triangular spot occupying almost entire surface of disc except sides, insides the black spot close to scutellum two large, yellow spots closed or open laterally.Apex of the triangular black spot acute. Scutellum black. Elytral disc with black ground colour and pattern of yellow or orange spots. In humeral area the black ground colour extending to marginal row in posterolateral area extending to submarginal row but in the middle and on apex margin of the black spot emarginate. Yellow pattern forms two small, round spots close to base of scutellum, two very small spots at apex of scutellum, small spot in anterolateral part of disc, two large, spots at sides of postscutellar point, two smaller spots in the mid length of disc close to suture, oblique band in ¾ length of disc close to suture, and two small spots in posterolateral part of disc (fig. 120). In some specimens anterolateral spots and at least external half of posterior bands orange. Ventrites, legs and antennae usually uniformly yellow, only apex of last antennal segment infuscate but in some specimens central part of abdomen infuscate to black but broadly surrounded by yellow.
Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width in the middle, sides broadly rounded. Disc indistinctly margined from explanate margin, without distinct lateral lobes, surface smooth and shiny. Explanate margin broad, with honeycomb structure, surface smooth and shiny.
Base of elytra much wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anterad, angulate, elytral margin behind humeral angle shallowly but distinctly emarginate thus humeral angle form minute spine. Disc moderately, regularly convex in profile (fig. 121), with shallow postscutellar and principal impressions emphasized by yellow spots. Punctation fine and sparse, distance between punctures mostly wider than puncture diameter. Rows regular but interrupted by yellow spots. Marginal row distinct, its punctures only slightly coarser than in submarginal row, dense with distance between punctures mostly narrower than puncture diameter. Intervals 1.5–2.5 times as wide as rows, flat, their surface slightly alutaceous to shiny. Marginal interval without humeral fold, lateral fold very narrow, hardly visible or obsolete. Explanate margin moderately declivous, broad, in the widest part approximately three times narrower than disc, its surface shallowly and densely punctate, appears slightly irregular.
Eyes very large, gena obsolete. Clypeus moderately broad, approximately as long as wide, flat. Clypeal grooves fine, in basal part run very close to margin of eye, apically converging in arch. Surface of clypeal plate impunctate, shiny. Labrum emarginate to ¼ length. Antennae slim, segment 9 approximately 1.8 times as long as wide, segment 10 twice longer than wide, segment 11 very long, 1.8 times as long as wide. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:51:63:63:60:57:57:54:57:60:120. Segment 3 from 1.2 times as long as segment 2 and approximately as long as segment 4.
Prosternal process narrow, flat and impunctate between coxae, very broad apically, central part of rhomboidal apex shiny with few punctures.
Claws simple.
Distribution. Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda (fig. 15).
Remarks. General shape, dorsal colouration and sculpture brings this species close only to Cassida benguelica but it differs in the body less circular, humeral angles rather angulate than acute with elytral margin very shallowly emarginate behind the humeral angle, base of elytra at apex of scutellum without yellow spots (in C. leleupi with two small spots), central elytral spots distinctly elevated and marked with 1–2 coarse punctures (in C. leleupi all spots are not elevated and impunctate), pronotal spot with rounded apex (in C. leleupi apex of pronotal spot is acute) and a black ground colour behind the humeral callus extending to submarginal row (in C. leleupi extending to marginal row). Pronotal sides in C. leleupi are more broadly rounded than in C. benguelica, punctures of the disc ae approximately twice smaller than in C. benguelica, and the surface of the disc is more shiny with mirror brilliance while in C. benguelica the surface is slightly alutaceous.
Types examined. Holotype: [DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ZAIRE)]: Kivu, T. Uvira, Mulenge, 2500 m, VIII 1959, N. Leleup (MRAC); paratype: [DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ZAIRE)]: Zaire, Kivu, Lwiro (110 km W Bukavu), 27.8.1984, leg. H. Mühle (LS); paratype: [DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ZAIRE)]: Kivu, Irangi, 18.2.1984, leg. H. Mühle (LS); paratype: [RWANDA]: Pref. Cyangugu, Umg. Nyakabuye, 12 V 1985, leg. H. Mühle (MNHW); paratype: [RWANDA]: Rwanda, Nyungwe, Pindura, 2°29’S / 29°14’E, 2750 m, 24.III.2007, T. Wagner (MNHW); paratype: [RWANDA]: Afrika, Ruanda, Pref. Cyangugu, Umg. Nyakabuye, 24.2.1984, leg. H. Mühle (LS).
description: Published as part of Borowiec, Lech & Świętojańska, Jolanta, 2022, A monograph of the Afrotropical Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Part 6. Revision of the tribe Cassidini 3, the genus Cassida L., pp. 1-250 in Zootaxa 5171 (1) on pages 100-101, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5171.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6966207