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Body oval, flattened. Head: small; maxillary palps with segments II-IV subequal; front vertical; antennal base with keel or broadly separated; eyes slightly protruding. Antennae: long, filiform; each segment separated by a bristle or flat space; segment III longest; IV-XI subequal in length. Pronotum: transverse; side margins curved; sharply margined. Scutellum: pentagonal, cuspidate behind. Elytra: oblong-oval, wider than pronotum; 10 1/2 rows of punctures; side margins often expanded; disc narrowed from humeri, convex, depressed behind humeri. Venter: prosternum narrow; mesosternum transverse; four visible abdominal sternites. Legs: short; claws divaricate.
Biology. The only biological information published on Demothispa
is Aide & Zimmerman (1990) on an unidentified species from
Panamá. The host plant is Connarus turczaninowii
Tr. (Connaraceae). Both larvae and adults feed on the upper leaf
surface.
Key to the Demotispa known from La Selva
(Demotispa sp.2 has not been incorporated into the key yet). (Images of two additional species, costaricensis and strandi, are posted, but there is no accompanying text yet and they are not in the key.)
1. Body convex 2
Body flattened sp. 1
2. Pronotum with oblique carina on side margin; antennal segment II slightly longer than I garleppi
Pronotum without oblique carina on side margin; antennal segment
II distinctly longer than I nevermanni
Species known from La Selva:
Demotispa garleppi Uhmann
Demotispa nevermanni Uhmann
Demotispa sp.1 Staines ms
Demotispa sp.2 Staines ms
Page authors:
C. L. Staines, 3302 Decker Place, Edgewater MD 21037. Staines.Charles@NMNH.SI.EDU
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
