Description of the Subfamily Hispinae
Body more or less elongate, oval or parallel; flat or slightly concave.
Head: opisthognathous, prominent, visible from above, to at least behind
the eyes; frons prominent, exposed or rarely retracted; antennae not retractable,
closely inserted between eyes.
Pronotum: narrower than base of elytra; more or less quadrangular or trapezoidal,
with definite anterior angles which may have small tubercles.
Scutellum: always visible.
Elytra: without lateral expansions or with reduced and discontinuous expansions;
margins usually denticulate or with spines.
Larvae: either leafminers or free living; with eight pairs of abdominal
spiracles well developed and dorsally located; eighth abdominal segment terminal,
with a free hind margin. The following are important identification characters.
Head: sculpture of the vertex (the presence or absence of sulci, carinae
or depressions); sculpture and shape of the frons.
Antennae: (often, without antennae it is difficult to place a specimen
to a genus): number of antennal segments varies (3 to 11); shape and relative
length of the segments.
Pronotum: shape of the side margins and sculpture (punctation, depressions,
sulci, carinae).
Scutellum: shape of the (triangular or quadrate); texture or sculpturing.
Elytra: sculpture and shape; presence or absence of costae or tubercles;
relative development and shape of costae; armature of the side and apical
margins; the number and placement of puncture rows.
Most hispines are between 5 and 10 mm in length.
However, species range in size from about 2 mm to 40 mm.
The biology and food plants are unknown for most species.
Adults may feed on the larval host plant or on a variety of plants.
Larvae may be leafminers, external feeders or feed in the rolled leaves of
plants such as Heliconia.
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