Diabrotica hilli Krysan & Smith

Species name

Diabrotica hilli Krysan & Smith 1987: 409

Type locality

El Quiché, Chichicastenango, Guatemala

Type depository

MCZ, holotype, male, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 4.7-4.8 mm. Body width 2.0-2.3 mm. Head basic color black. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, unifomly piceous. Maxillary palpi piceous, labrumlabrum:
the "upper lip" of beetles, a movable sclerite joined under clypeus
black or piceous. Pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
green or pale olivine, subquadrate, deeply bifoveate, not shagreened. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
piceous or black. Elytra green, with narrow basalbasal:
of or pertaining to the base, as in the first, or basal segment of an appendage; opposite of apical
ochraceous-orange band and one diffuse sulphur yellow macula on each elytronelytron:
<em>(pl. elytra)</em> the fore highly sclerotized wing of beetle
. Elytral epipleura completely green. Elytral surface with four distinct sinuatesinuate:
curved in some way
sulci, strongest behind the humeral callushumeral callus:
<em>(pl. calli)</em> more or less marked tubercle or knob on the anterobasal angle of elytron
and extending beyond the middle. Sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra round, punctation scattered, fine. Abdomen pale olivine or green. Tarsi black or chestnut. Protibia bicolored, yellow, outer edge with piceous or testaceous line, or extensively darkened. Meso- and metatibia bicolored, yellow, outer edge with piceous or testaceous line. Femora uniform pale olivine. 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

Mexico, Guatemala

Host plants

Fig leaf gourd (Krysan & Smith, 1987a)

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica hilli Krysan & Smith is similar to D. viridula (Fabricius). They can be separated by the following features: the head of D. hilli is black, but green in D. viridula; the antennae in D. hilli are piceous, but bi- or tricolored in D. viridula, paler than in D. hilli; the legs of D. viridula are also paler than in D. hilli.