Diabrotica variegata Jacoby

Species name

Diabrotica variegata Jacoby 1887: 527

Type locality

Mexico, Presidio

Type depository

BMNH, lectotype, male, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 5.1-6.5 mm. Body width 2.6-3.5 mm. Head basic color black. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bi- or tricolored, antennomeres 1-3 pale olivine, antennomeres 4-8 gradually infuscated, antennomeres 9-10 olive ocher, 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
black or chestnut, subquadrate, nonfoveate, not shagreened. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
black or amber brown. Elytra green, with three chestnut bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
, usually connected together laterally and along suture, or reduced to variable extent. Elytral epipleura completely green, sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra dentiform, punctation dense, coarse. Abdomen pale olivine or green. Tarsi and tibiae black or piceous, femora pale olivine. Aedeagusaedeagus:
the main sclerotized part of the male genitalia; "aedeagus" is used here instead of "median lobe of aedeagus"
symmetric, with wo internal sac scleritessclerites:
(here) the sclerotized hooks, spines or plates in the internal sac
.

Known distribution

Mexico

Host plants

Specimens in the USNM collection were collected on Cucurbita L. and tomato.

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica variegata Jacoby is similar to D. adelpha Harold and D. sinuata (Olivier). They can be separated by the following features: pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
is chestnut in D. variegata, but yellow in D. adelpha and D. sinuata; the shape of the internal sac scleritessclerites:
(here) the sclerotized hooks, spines or plates in the internal sac
allows distinguishing D.variegata from the similar species clearly.