The structure of the spermathecae of selected genera of Stolaini and Eugenysini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) and its taxonomic significance

Spermathecae of 43 nominal and one unidentified species of Cassidinae belonging to the tribes Eugenysini (two genera) and Stolaini (four genera) have been studied and figured. Spermathecae of particular genera are characterized by a set of constant and distinct characters and in many cases they are also diagnostic for species. No correlation was observed between the degree of sexual dimorphism within the species and the complexity of spermathecal structure. The distinctive structure of the spermatheca in the monotypical subgenus Pseudomoplata Spaeth, 1952 of the genus Echoma Chevrolat, 1837 suggests that the taxon should be excluded from the genus Echoma. The spermatheca of Paraselenis marginipennis (Spaeth, 1907), the only member of the subgenus Pseudechoma Spaeth, 1913 of the genus Paraselenis Spaeth, 1913, is more similar to the spermathecae of some members of the genus Omaspides Chevrolat, 1837 than to any other member of Paraselenis and Pseudechoma and should probably be transferred to the genus Omaspides.