Parentispa Sekerka 2014, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Sekerka, Lukáš
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Chrysomelidae
Parentispa

description: Parentispa gen. nov.   
(Figs 22, 26–27, 33)  
 Type species. Cephaloleia gracilis Baly, 1878, here designated.   
 Other species transferred. Cephaloleia formosus [sic!] Staines, 1996, C. vagelineata Pic, 1926.   
 Description. Body elongate, subparallel-sided, slightly tapering apically, about 3.8 times longer than wide. Length 4.7–6.2 mm. Body black, each elytron with shortened yellow vitta along midlength of each elytron (Fig. 22).   
Mouthparts large, occupying almost whole ventral surface of head, hypognathous with all parts facing ventrally (Fig. 33). Labrum small, semicircular, narrower than mouth cavity, micro-granulose. Maxillary palps as long as pedicel. Labial palps as long as 0.75 of ¿rst antennomere. Clypeus very narrow, present as narrow carina above labrum and projecting between antennal insertions. Antennal insertions deeply impressed. Interantennal carina reaching to frontal margin of vertex and then continuing as more or less visible sulcus to base of vertex. Antennae, 11-segmented, strangulate, twice longer than pronotal length, two basal antennomeres shiny and elongate. Length ratio of antennomeres: 100: 45: 58: 62: 43: 49: 46: 47: 51: 41: 83, ¿rst antennomere 2.2 times longer than second and 1.7 times longer than third. Eyes large, covering approximately 0.75 of lateral length of head, gena well visible, coarsely punctate and microreticulate. Whole vertex coarsely punctate and micro-reticulate. Head transverse and strongly constricted behind eyes.  
Pronotum 1.4 times wider than long, subquadratic, basally parallel-sided and in anterior third slightly widening, and widest slightly behind anterior corners. Lateral margins serrate. Anterior margin smooth and almost straight, tubercle possessing seta small and situated at internal eye margin. Anterior corners angulate and moderately projecting. Basal corners sharp and slightly projecting. Lateral margins slightly but distinctly explanate and distinctly separated from disc, outer margin serrate, each denticle possessing small seta. Basal margin convex, moderately projecting towards scutellum. Disc weakly and regularly convex, microreticulate, sparsely but coarsely punctate, punctures gradually coarser and denser towards lateral sides, central area with several small micropunctures thus appears impunctate. Pronotal surface appears rather dull due to micro-reticulation.  
Scutellum triangular, smooth, micro-reticulate, and impunctate.  
Elytra about 2.6 times longer than wide, elongate, subparallel-sided and distinctly tapering in apical third, depressed, and with ten rows of punctures plus scutellar row. Base smooth, bisinuate, and slightly wider than base of pronotum. Humeral angles slightly projecting, subangulate. Humeral calli distinctly convex, impunctate and micro-reticulate. Punctation completely regular. Punctures moderately large, shallow. Intervals approximately as wide as puncture diameter, smooth and micro-reticulate. Punctures arranged regularly and densely in rows with interspaces much narrower than puncture diameter. Punctures gradually coarser from disc to lateral slopes. Marginal row distinct in whole length, regular. Elytral margin not explanate. Outer margin, swollen and irregular, minutely crenulate. Apex of elytra truncate with small projecting denticle at sutura. Surface of elytra smooth and semiopaque, apical third sparsely pubescent with very short and adherent setae. Epipleura narrow, flat, shiny and very sparsely pubescent.  
Prosternal process broad with truncate, apically widening and projecting apex. Its surface micro-reticulate and shiny. Apex with several irregular sulci and thus appears subrugose. Whole surface of thorax and sparsely setose. Abdomen micro-reticulate, sparsely punctate and pubescent, setae gradually sparser towards middle. Ventrites I and II partly fused but with visible suture; remaining ventrites well separated.  
Legs normal, all pairs equal. Tarsal claws broadly divergent, simple.  
Sexual dimorphism distinct in formation of pygidium. Males have greatly enlarged pygidium forming ventral parabolic cavity (Fig. 26) while females have pygidium normal, regularly convex and only with apical margin visible from underside (Fig. 27).  
 Differential diagnosis. Parentispa gen. nov. at ¿rst glance is reminiscent of some Cephaloleia species but is very distinct in the formation of the mouthparts and the pygidium. It has hypognathous mouthparts with all parts facing down, while Cephaloleia species have the mouthparts prognathous with the labrum always facing anteriad. Parentispa also has truncate and slightly emarginate apices of the elytra and the pygidium in males strongly enlarged, subquadratic, and with a large parabolic concavity. Cephaloleia species have the pygidium transverse and elliptical without any concavity. The structure of the pygidium is unique to Parentispa within the whole tribe.   
 Etymology. The genus is dedicated to my parents, Vlasta and JiĜí Sekerka for their constant support, without which I would not be able to conduct my beetle studies; the name is derived from Latin ‘ parentes ’ = parents and generic name ‘ Hispa ’; gender is feminine.   
 Number of species. 3.   
 Biology. Two of the three species have published associations with various palms (Arecaceae), mainly the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) (URUETA SANDINO 1972, STAINES 1996).   
 Distribution. Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Panama.
description: Published as part of Sekerka, Lukáš, 2014, Review of Imatidiini genera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), pp. 257-314 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 (1) on pages 286-287, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5301732