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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
1. Body convex: 1.5
Body flattened: 2
1.5. Pronotum twice as wide as long: lata
Pronotum less than twice as wide as long: nevermanni
2. Elytra metallic blue, pronotum reddish: sp.1
Elytra not metallic blue, pronotum not reddish: 3
3. Elytra dark brown with yellow spots, pronotum yellowish with black circular marking: strandi
Elytra and pronotum brown without spots or marking: sp.2
Species known from La Selva:
Demotispa lata Baly
Demotispa nevermanni Uhmann
Demotispa sp.1 Staines ms
Demotispa sp.2 Staines ms
Demotispa strandi Uhmann
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