Diabrotica pygidialis Jacoby

Species name

Diabrotica pygidialis Jacoby 1887: 503

Type locality

Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui

Type depository

BMNH, lectotype, male, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 5.2-5.8 mm. Body width 2.5-2.8 mm. Head basic color black. Antennae serrateserrate:
in reference to antennae, saw-like, often with a sharp ridge on the outer margin
, with thickened antennomeres 4-8, bi- or tricolored, antennomeres 1-3 yellow, upper sides darkened, antennomeres 4-8 brussels brown, antennomeres 9-10 sulphur yellow, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
11 dark apically. Maxillary palpi black or chestnut, labrumlabrum:
the "upper lip" of beetles, a movable sclerite joined under clypeus
black. Pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
yellow or mustard yellow, transverse, deeply bifoveate, not shagreened. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
yellow. Elytra uniformly yellow ocher, black or piceous, maculatemaculate:
(here) marked by maculae or patches of a different shape and size, usually clearly separated from each other
, with three sharp-edged yellow ocher maculae on each elytronelytron:
<em>(pl. elytra)</em> the fore highly sclerotized wing of beetle
. Elytral epipleura completely black, narrow interior edge is pale or epipleura completely yellow. Sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra round, punctation dense, coarse. Abdomen yellow, pygidium (at least the apexapex:
<em>(pl. apices)</em> the far distal end of a structure; opposite of base
) black. Tarsi and tibiae black or piceous, male protibiaeprotibiae:
tibiae of fore legs
thickened, femora yellow or yellow ocher. Aedeagusaedeagus:
the main sclerotized part of the male genitalia; "aedeagus" is used here instead of "median lobe of aedeagus"
symmetric, with five internal sac scleritessclerites:
(here) the sclerotized hooks, spines or plates in the internal sac
.

Known distribution

Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama

Host plants

Unknown

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica pygidialis Jacoby is very similar to D. e2n and D. obscura Jacoby. They can be separated by the following features: scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
is yellow in D. pygidialis, but black in both other species; there are five internal sac scleritessclerites:
(here) the sclerotized hooks, spines or plates in the internal sac
in D. pygidialis, but four scleritessclerites:
(here) the sclerotized hooks, spines or plates in the internal sac
in D. obscura.