Diabrotica graminea Baly

Species name

Diabrotica graminea Baly 1886a: 443

Common name

Green beetle

Type locality

Porto Rica

Type depository

BMNH, lectotype, female, verified

Synonyms

aeruginea Fabricius 1775: 117; as Cistela (type locality: Africa; type depository: ZMUC, lectotype, female, verified) nomen oblitum

impressa Suffrian 1867: 309 (type locality: Cuba; type depository: ESUH, lectotype, male, verified)

Diagnosis

Body length 6.2-6.4 mm. Body width 3.0-3.4 mm. Head basic color black. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bi- or tricolored, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
1 sulphur yellow or pale olivine, antennomeres 2-3 yellow or pale olivine, antennomeres 4-8 gradually infuscated, antennomeres 9-10 sulphur yellow or paris green, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
11 brussels brown. 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
paris green, green, yellow or sulphur yellow, subquadrate, nonfoveate, shagreened with minute wrinkles. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
piceous or black. Elytra paris green, yellow or rufous. Elytral epipleura completely yellow or completely green, sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra round, punctation scattered, fine. Abdomen yellow. Tarsi and tibiae black. Femora yellow, sulphur yellow or paris green. Aedeagusaedeagus:
the main sclerotized part of the male genitalia; "aedeagus" is used here instead of "median lobe of aedeagus"
symmetric, with four internal sac scleritessclerites:
(here) the sclerotized hooks, spines or plates in the internal sac
.

Known distribution

West Indies

Host plants

Amaranthus spinosus L., bean, beet, sugar-cane, castor-oil bean, maize, cowpeas, cucumbers, egg-plants, and many other plants (Woloott, 1916)

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica graminea Baly is very similar to D. obscura Jacoby. They can be separated by the shape of the internal sac sclerite 4b.