Diabrotica elegantula Baly

Species name

Diabrotica elegantula Baly 1886b: 213

Type locality

Muzo, Colombia

Type depository

BMNH, lectotype, female, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 7.0-7.1 mm. Body width 3.5-3.6 mm. Head basic color black. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bi- or tricolored, antennomeres 1-3 yellow, with upper sides darkened, antennomeres 4-8 brussels brown, antennomeres 9-10 light cadmium, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
11 dark apically. Maxillary palpi and 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 light cadmium, quadrate, weakly bifoveate, with wide shallow foveae, not shagreened. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
black. Elytra yellow or rufous, with three sharp-edged metallic black green bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
connected together and forming two round maculae in basalbasal:
of or pertaining to the base, as in the first, or basal segment of an appendage; opposite of apical
area of elytra and two transverse maculae in the middle. Elytral epipleura completely yellow. 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 or piceous. Femora yellow.

Known distribution

Colombia

Host plants

Unknown

Remarks

Smith and Lawrence (1967) designated lectotype of D. elegantula Baly and noted "a second example from Magdalena River is considered to be a paralectotype". We have studied the type and the specimens identified as 'elegantula' in BMNH collection and were unable to recognize this paralectotype. There are no any specimens in Jacoby's collections in BMNH and in MCZ similar to the type. There is a discrepancy between the type and Baly's description. Baly wrote "…disk [of pronotum] smooth and shining…", while in the type pronotal disk is opaque and shagreened by long, narrow microsculpture meshes. Diabrotica elegantula Baly was treated for a long time as Central American species, therefore we included it in the key. It is possible that the range of D. elegantula is restricted only to the South America.

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica elegantula Baly is very similar to D. e2n and D. trifurcata Jacoby. They can be separated by the following features: pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
is clearly shagreened in D. elegantula, while smooth and shining in D. e2n and D. trifurcata; pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
in D. e2n is more transverse than in D. elegantula; the body of D. e2n is more convex and shorter than in D. elegantula; the medium maculae are almost round in D. e2n, but transverse in D. elegantula; the color of the bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
is usually metallic black blue in D. e2n, but black metallic green in D. elegantula.