Diabrotica sinuata (Olivier)

Species name

Diabrotica sinuata Olivier 1789: 106; as Altica

Type locality

Cayenne

Type depository

Unknown (type specimens presumed to be missing)

Synonyms

abrupta Fabricius 1801: 453; as Crioceris (type locality: America meridionali; type depository: ZMUC, lectotype, female, verified)

bivittula Klug 1829: 8; as Galleruca (type locality: Süd-Brasilien; type depository: type not identified)

brunneosignata Jacoby 1887: 512; (type locality: Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui; type depository: BMNH, holotype, male, verified) new synonym

capitata Fabricius 1801: 452; as Crioceris (replacement name for Galleruca melanocephala Fabricius 1798: 95)

fulvomaculata Christensen 1943 (1944): 479, 483, 497 (type locality: Misiones, Pindapoy, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza)

melanocephala Fabricius 1798: 95; as Galleruca (type locality: Cajennae; type depository: type not located)

melanoptera Christensen 1943 (1944): 479, 481, 495 (type locality: La Pampa, Gral. Pico, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza)

misionensis Christensen 1943 (1944): 479, 482, 496 (type locality: Misiones, Pindapoy, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza)

ogloblini Christensen 1943 (1944): 479, 482, 496 (type locality: Misiones-Loreto, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza)

pindapoyensis Christensen 1943 (1944): 479, 485, 501 (type locality: Misiones, Pindapoy, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza)

quinqueliturata Christensen 1943 (1944): 484, 502 (type locality: Misiones, El Dorado, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza)

speronii Christensen 1943 (1944): 485, 500 (type locality: Misiones, Pindapoy, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza)

Diagnosis

Body length 5.4-7.9 mm. Body width 2.8-4.2 mm. Head basic color black or rufous. 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, antennomeres 4-8 uniformly cinnamon brown or gradually infuscateinfuscate:
darken with a brownish tinge
by brown, antennomeres 9-10 cinnamon brown or orange rufous, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
11 completely dark (cinnamon brown) or dark apically. Maxillary palpi and labrumlabrum:
the "upper lip" of beetles, a movable sclerite joined under clypeus
black, piceous, amber yellow or amber brown. Pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
yellow, mustard yellow, yellow ocher or testaceous, subquadrate, nonfoveate, not shagreened or with minute wrinkles. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
black, ochraceous-orange or amber brown. Elytra yellow or rufous, with 2-3 black bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
. Elytral patterns extremely variable. Elytronelytron:
<em>(pl. elytra)</em> the fore highly sclerotized wing of beetle
of melanistic specimens about entirely black with two small yellow spots before and after middle and with yellow apexapex:
<em>(pl. apices)</em> the far distal end of a structure; opposite of base
. Another extreme pattern is maculatemaculate:
(here) marked by maculae or patches of a different shape and size, usually clearly separated from each other
, with short lines or small spots, usually associated with humeral and sutural black vittae. Vittae and bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
black or testaceous, epipleura completely yellow. Humeral plicae absent, sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra round. Abdomen yellow or yellow ocher. Tarsi black, chestnut or yellow with infuscated third tarsomeretarsomere:
one of the segments of the tarsus
. Protibia bicolored, yellow, outer edge with piceous or testaceous line, or extensively darkened. Meso- and metatibia uniform yellow, yellow ocher or amber brown, sometimes bicolored, yellow, outer edge with piceous or testaceous line. Femora uniform yellow or yellow ocher. Aedeagusaedeagus:
the main sclerotized part of the male genitalia; "aedeagus" is used here instead of "median lobe of aedeagus"
asymmetric, with two internal sac scleritessclerites:
(here) the sclerotized hooks, spines or plates in the internal sac
.

Known distribution

Central and South America, Lesser Antilles

Host plants

Unknown

Remarks

We base the species concept of D. sinuata on descriptions and illustrations, provided by Olivier (1808), Bechyné (1955a) and Barber (1947). We studied Fabricius' type of Crioceris abrupta. The elytra pattern matches Olivier's (1808) figure of Galeruca sinuata just as the figure of Galeruca abrupta. Undoubtedly, it is the same species. After study of the internal sac in a few males similar in morphology and in elytral pattern to these figured specimens, we treat them as the males of D. sinuata. Crioceris tripunctata Fabricius, 1801 was previously treated as a synonym of D. sinuata. However, the study of the type material showed that it is quite different and should be treated as a separate species. This problem is discussed under D. tripunctata (Fabricius, 1801). We studied the internal sac in the holotype of D. brunneosignata, which appeared to be identical with the internal sacs of D. sinuata males. As a result of this study, we treat D. brunneosignata as synonym of D. sinuata.

Potential problems with identification

The rounded convex body shape, shining pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
and elytra, serrateserrate:
in reference to antennae, saw-like, often with a sharp ridge on the outer margin
antennae and internal sac of aedeagusaedeagus:
the main sclerotized part of the male genitalia; "aedeagus" is used here instead of "median lobe of aedeagus"
allow distinguishing D. sinuata from all other similar species.