Aesernoides Jacoby

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Genus Aesernoides

Aesernoides nigrofasciata Jacoby

Scale bar equals 1 mm
Photo © Kindi Smith, Australian Museum

Species found in New South Wales: Aesernoides nigrofasciata Jacoby.

Description

Length: 10 - 12 mm; body form elongate (length to width ratio 1.7:1) but moderately convex (length to height ratio 2.5:1).

Head: Not contracted behind eyes, eyes not laterally prominent; frons without vertical groove beside inner margin of eye; frontoclypeal suture transverse V shaped; first segment of maxillary palp not flattened; apical segment of maxillary palp strongly expanded from base to apex; apical margin of mentum shallowly concave.

Thorax: Pronotum broadest at or near base; trichobothrium present in anterior and posterior angles; sides of pronotal disc with irregularly shaped punctate depressions; base of pronotum without raised border; hypomeron without lateral groove; anterior of prosternum without median or lateral ridges, but medially produced; prosternal process roughly quadrate, without a pair of right-angled lobes at base; procoxal cavity open, gap at least half width of coxa; elytra at humeri much broader than pronotum; elytra non-tuberculate, distinctly striate, 5th stria deepened at base; elytra not extended at sides, epipleura entirely visible; base of elytra slightly overlapping posterior angles of pronotum; epipleuron narrow, much less than quarter width of elytral remainder; apical half of epipleura without short stiff setae; anterior face of mesoventrite process abruptly sloping, convex, posterior margin strongly concave; metaventrite without anterior femoral plates; metaventrite process not anteriorly raised; apices of mid and hind tibia without row of teeth; tibiae without external keels; apex of third tarsal segment slightly concave; claws toothed, basal lobe appendiculate and acute.

Abdomen: Pygidium without well-defined median groove; abdominal ventrites smooth, without distinct punctures; apex of last ventrite truncate in male and rounded in female.

Distribution and biology

The genus Aesernoides is endemic to Australia and includes a single species, A. nigrofasciata Jacoby (Reid 2004). This rare species is confined to the rainforests of north-eastern New South Wales, from Barrington Tops northwards, and south-eastern Queensland. The hostplants and immature stages are unknown.

References

Reid, C. A. M. 2004. A taxonomic revision of the Australian Chrysomelinae, with a key to the genera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Zootaxa.