- Source: Cassidinae
The Cassidinae (tortoise and leaf-mining beetles) are a subfamily of the leaf beetles, or Chrysomelidae. The antennae arise close to each other and some members have the pronotal and elytral edges extended to the side and covering the legs so as to give them the common name of tortoise beetles. Some members, such as in the tribe Hispini, are notable for the spiny outgrowths to the pronotum and elytra.
Description
The "cassidoids" have a rounded outline with the edges of the pronotum and elytra expanded, spreading out to cover the legs and head. They are often colourful and metallic, with ornate sculpturing; a few species have the ability to change the colour due to water movements within the translucent cuticle. All members of the subfamily have the mouthparts reduced into a cavity in the head capsule, the legs have four segmented tarsi. The hispoids generally have larvae that are leaf miners, while the cassidoids feed externally on the plant surfaces. Within cassidoids, the tortoise beetles are diagnosed by the larvae recycling their feces and cast exuviae into a discrete structure held on the caudal processes (or, urogomphi). Fecal shields are thought to provide protection (thermal, solar, wind, predators, parasites, parasitoids) and the experimental evidence are mixed.
A few species in two closely related tribes (Mesomphaliini and Eugenysini, putative sister taxa) show maternal care of larvae. These species can be viewed as subsocial or parasocial, with evidence pointing to there being two evolutionary origins of subsociality within this one lineage.
Taxonomy
It includes both the former subfamily "Hispinae" (leaf-mining beetles), as well as the former more narrowly defined subfamily Cassidinae (familiar as tortoise beetles) which are now split into several tribes that include the tribe Cassidini, and in all include over 125 genera. The traditional separation of the two groups was based essentially on the habitats of the larvae and the general shapes of the adults. The name Cassidinae for the merged subfamily is considered to have priority.
The former grouping of "Hispinae" (sometimes called leaf-mining beetles, or "hispoids") included the tribes Alurnini, Anisoderini, Aproidini, Arescini, Bothryonopini, Callispini, Callohispini, Cephaloleiini, Chalepini, Coelaenomenoderini, Cryptonychini, Cubispini, Eurispini, Exothispini, Gonophorini, Hispini, Hispoleptini, Hybosispini, Leptispini, Oediopalpini, Oncocephalini, Promecothecini, Prosopodontini, Sceloenoplini and Spilophorini. Most members of these tribes are elongated, slightly flattened beetles with parallel margins, and antennal bases close together on their small heads. They often have punctate elytra and pronotum, sometimes with spines both on and along the edges. The former grouping of Cassidinae (sometimes called tortoise beetles, or "cassidoids") included the tribes Aspidimorphini, Basiprionotini, Cassidini, Delocraniini, Dorynotini, Eugenysini, Goniocheniini, Hemisphaerotini, Mesomphaliini, Notosacanthini, Omocerini and Physonotini.
BioLib currently (March 2024) includes the following tribes:
= Aspidimorphini
=Auth. Chapuis, 1875; genera:
Aspidimorpha Hope, 1840
Conchyloctenia Spaeth, 1902
Hybosinota Spaeth, 1909
Laccoptera Boheman, 1855
Mahatsinia Weise, 1910
Nilgiraspis Spaeth, 1932
= Basiprionotini
=Auth. Gressitt, 1952; genera:
Androya Spaeth, 1911
Basiprionota Chevrolat, 1837
Cassidopsis Fairmaire, 1899
Craspedonta Chevrolat, 1837
Epistictina Hincks, 1950
Megapyga Boheman, 1850
Metriopepla Fairmaire, 1882
Pseudandroya Spaeth, 1952
Cassidini Gyllenhal, 1813
Delocranini Spaeth, 1929
Dorynotini Monrós & Viana, 1949
Eugenysini Hincks, 1952
Goniocheniini Spaeth, 1942
Hemisphaerotini Monrós & Viana, 1951
= Imatidiini
=Auth. Hope, 1840 (= Cephaloleiini); genera:
= Notosacanthini
=Auth. Gressitt, 1952
Herminella Spaeth, 1913
Hermosacantha Borowiec & Świetojańska, 2014
Notosacantha Chevrolat, 1837
Omocerini Hincks, 1952
Physonotini Spaeth, 1942 = synonyms Ischyrosonychini and Physonotini
Spilophorini Chapuis, 1875 (= Oediopalpini)
= Stolaini
=Auth. Hincks, 1952
In addition, Borowiec & Świętojańska (2014) included:
Aproidini
Aproida Pascoe, 1863
Chalepini (= Uroplatini)
Cryptonychini
Cubispini
The subfamily names Cassidinae and Hispinae are both founded by Gyllenhal in the same 1813 book, but following the Principle of the First Reviser, Chen in this case, priority is given to the name Cassidinae.
See also
List of Cassidinae genera
References
External links
Hispines of the world
Photo atlas and interactive key to world Cassidinae
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Cassidini
- Floridocassis
- Cassidinae
- List of Cassidinae genera
- Sociality
- Leaf beetle
- Charidotella sexpunctata
- Beetle
- Calyptocephala attenuata
- Smilax
- Aspidimorpha miliaris
- Ootheca