Diabrotica balteata LeConte

Species name

Diabrotica balteata LeConte 1865: 213

Common name

Banded cucumber beetle

Type locality

Rio Grande, Texas

Type depository

MCZ, holotype, female, verified

Synonyms

sallei Baly 1886: 227 (type locality: Guatemala; type depository: BMNH, lectotype, male, verified)

Diagnosis

Body length 5.0-5.3 mm. Body width 2.5-2.9 mm. Head basic color orange or rufous, fronsfrons:
the outer part of the head capsule of beetle occupied the space between clypeus and antennal calli
yellow, clypeusclypeus:
the part of the frontal surface of the head capsule between frons and labrum
mars yellow. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bi- or tricolored, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
1 sulphur yellow, antennomeres 2-3 yellow, antennomeres 4-8 brussels brown, antennomeres 9-11 orange buff. Maxillary palpi black or piceous, labrumlabrum:
the "upper lip" of beetles, a movable sclerite joined under clypeus
black. Pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
pale olivine, yellow or sulphur yellow, subquadrate, deeply bifoveate, shagreened with minute tubercles. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
yellow, amber brown or yellow ocher. Elytra green, with four diffuse yellow bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
, epipleura completely green. Sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra round, punctation dense, fine. Abdomen yellow. Tarsi and tibiae black, piceous or chestnut. Femora yellow. Aedeagusaedeagus:
the main sclerotized part of the male genitalia; "aedeagus" is used here instead of "median lobe of aedeagus"
symmetric, with three internal sac scleritessclerites:
(here) the sclerotized hooks, spines or plates in the internal sac
.

Known distribution

Southern USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba

Host plants

Cucurbitaceae, Rosaceae, Leguminoseae, Brassicaceae and Crucifereae. On the vegetable crops: cucumber, squash, beet, bean, pea, sweet potato, okra, corn, lettuce, onion, and various cabbages. Also on mango (Mangifera indica L.), Ambrosia L., Chrysanthemum L., mesquite (Prosopis L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), avocado (Persea americana Mill.), mulberry (Morus L.), potato (SolanumL.)

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica balteata LeConte is similar to D. speciosa (Germar) and D. tortuosa Jacoby. They can be separated by the following feature: there are four bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
on the elytra in D. balteata, and only three bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
in D. speciosa; tarsi and tibiae are black in D. balteata, but ochraceous-orange in D. tortuosa .