Cassida pellegrini Marseul 1868

Cassida pellegrini Marseul, 1868

(figs. 33, 232–233)

Cassida Pellegrini Marseul, 1868: 213; Spaeth, 1914 b: 142; Gruev, 1995: 340; Borowiec et al., 1997: 151; Borowiec, 1999 a: 272.

Cassida Pellegrinii [sic]: Gemminger & Harold, 1876: 3657.

Cassida (Cassida) Pellegrini: Spaeth, 1914 a: 130, 1914 b: 108.

Cassida (Tylocentra) Pellegrini: Spaeth & Reitter, 1926: 58; Winkler, 1932: 1359.

Cassida (Tylocentra) tectiformis Normand, 1949: 95; Sekerka & Borowiec, 2011: 506 (as synonym of Cassida pellegrini).

Description. L: 4.40–5.20 mm, W: 3.10–3.50 mm, Lp: 1.55–1.80 mm, Wp: 2.60–2.90 mm, L/W: 1.39–1.49, Wp/ Lp: 1.1.59–1.74. Body distinctly converging posterad (fig. 232).

Dorsum yellow, yellowish green or green (green colour in life, often persist in dry specimens). Elytral disc at top often with small reddish spot (fig. 232), in extreme case red to purple spot occupies large part of sutural area of disc, occasionally this spot is divided into two smaller spots, in pale specimens entire elytra yellow. Head, ventrites, legs and antennae yellow, in specimens with green dorsum often one or two apical antennal segments green.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width in the middle, anterior margin regularly convex, sides subangulate, no basal corners. Disc not bordered from explanate margin, area above head not impressed. Surface of disc from slightly alutaceous to shiny, with coarse and dense punctation, distance between punctures mostly narrower than puncture diameter. Area above head with punctures smaller than on top or sides of disc but always distinctly punctate. Interspaces mostly regular but in some specimens surface of disc appears slightly irregular. Explanate margin moderately broad, with coarse punctation, especially on sides, shiny to slightly alutaceous, semitransparent to transparent with more or less visible honeycomb structure.

Base of elytra distinctly wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anterad, subangulate. Disc highly convex, with more or less distinct postscutellar impressions but without principal impressions, with obtuse hump in postscutellar area but without H–shaped elevation (fig. 233). Punctation moderately coarse, mostly arranged in completely regular rows, only in postscutellar impressions and sometimes on slope punctures partly to mostly irregular, rows not impressed thus sometimes punctures runs in not straight line, distance between punctures from slightly narrower to slightly wider than puncture diameter. Marginal row distinct, its punctures not coarser than punctures in central rows. Intervals flat, second interval slightly wider than first and third intervals, lateral intervals from as wide as to slightly wider than rows, marginal interval broad, in humeral area slightly wider than submarginal interval and submarginal row combined, no humeral or lateral folds. Explanate margin narrow, strongly declivous, in the widest part approximately six to seven times narrower than disc, surface from slightly alutaceous to slightly shiny with fine and dense punctation and more or less irregular interspaces, semitransparent with more or less visible honeycomb structure.

Eyes moderately large, gena slightly longer than length of last palpomere. Clypeus very broad, approximately 1.4–1.5 times as wide as long. Clypeal grooves fine but well marked, converging in regular triangle, surface of clypeus flat or shallowly impressed, its surface shiny with few very small, setose punctures. Labrum with almost straight anterior margin or very shallowly emarginate. Antennae stout, segments 9–10 distinctly transverse. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:64:64:62:56:48:52:56:56:65:108. Segment 3 approximately as long as segment 2 and only slightly longer than segment 4.

Prosternum narrow in the middle, strongly expanded apically, area between coxa flat, shiny, without special sculpture, expanded apex convex, shiny with few small, setose punctures.

Claws simple.

Host plants. Solanaceae: Lycium schweinfurthii (Borowiec et al. 1997).

Distribution. Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia (fig. 33). This is the only Ethiopian member of the genus Cassida L. common to Palaearctic and Ethiopian regions.

Remarks. A member of the Cassida turcmenica species–group (the former subgenus Tylocentra Reitter), next to Cassida rotschildi Spaeth, 1922 the only species of the group in the Ethiopian Region. Cassida rothschildi is a more western species, occuring mostly in continental Africa and both taxa are sympatric only in the Arabian Peninsula. Cassida pellegrini is generally larger (L = 4.40–5.20 mm vs. 3.70–4.40 in C. rothschildi) and slligtly more elongate species (L/W ratio 1.39–1.49 vs. 1.29–1.39 in C. rothschildi). It differs also in a less convex and less angulate elytral disc profile and coarser and denser pronotal punctation.

Types examined. Type of Cassida pellegrini Marseul not examined personally but Dr. L. Sekerka informed us that he found the type (? holotype) in MNHN and that the specimens from Cyprus, Tunisia, Israel and Saudi Arabia examined by us are conspecific with the type. Type location of Cassida (Tylocentra) tectiformis Normand unknown.

Other specimens examined. SAUDI ARABIA: 8–20 km O Abha–Ta’if, 2100 m, 20 IV 1996, 2, Wittmer & Buettiker (Basel).