Forum Entomologi Italiani

Ciao

ULTIMA Casida costaricense
Potrebbe essere Charidotella (s. str.) succinea (Boheman, 1855)?
Lunghezza = 5mm circa

Grazie per l'aiuto e in particolare a Lech

Buona giornata

Paolo

This is not a Charidotella succinea. Compare your specimen with photo of C. succinea on my web page:

http://culex.biol.uni.wroc.pl/cassidae/ ... neafig.htm

Different shape of body, base of pronotum, your specimen is more circular, pronotum without emargination on basal margin laterally.

In this position of photo also genus is dificult to proper identification. Metrionella placans looks very similar to yellow, circular species of Charidotella. I need photo of ventral side, especially head structure is important, colouration of ventrites (uniformly yellow or partly or mostly black) and colour of trochanters (yellow versus brown to black). Members of Metrionella have distinct, complete clypeal grooves converging in triangle or trapezium while members of Charidotella have clypeal grooves mostly reduced, visible only at base of clypeus.

We have from Costa Rica several yellow Charodotella belonging to undescribed species, one of them is very common in this country and known in collections under unpublished name Charidotella nevermanni.

Thus, at the moment we can identify your specimen only as Charidotella or Metrionella sp.

Thanks Lech

I'll try to insert some more picture of the ventral side

Thanks againe and have a nice weekend

Paolo

Hello Lech

Some more pictures
I hope they will help for identification

Thanks for your help

Have a nice evening

Paolo

O'k, this is undescribed species from Charidotella sexpunctata group known in collections under unpublished name Charidotella nevermanni. This group of species is very difficult taxonomically and needs revision on both morphological and molecular level.

Thanks Lech

I have a couple more very very similar to this one and collected in the same place; I'll follow your suggestion and observe them on the ventral side too in order to be sure I can include them in the same group

Thanks again and have a nice weekend

Paolo