Diabrotica obscura Jacoby

Species name

Diabrotica obscura Jacoby 1887: 526

Type locality

Etla, Mexico

Type depository

BMNH, lectotype, male, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 6.0-6.5 mm. Body width 3.1-3.4 mm. Head basic color black. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bi- or tricolored, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
1 uniformly yellow, antennomeres 2-3 yellow, upper sides darkened, antennomeres 4-8 cinnamon brown, antennomeres 9-10 yellow, partly infuscated, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
11 cinnamon brown or dark only apically. Maxillary palpi black or amber brown, 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 yellow ocher, subquadrate, weakly bifoveate, with wide shallow foveae, not shagreened. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
black. Elytra uniformly yellow ocher. 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 or black in the middle, yellow laterally. Tarsi and tibiae black, femora bicolored: apexapex:
<em>(pl. apices)</em> the far distal end of a structure; opposite of base
(approximately 1/3) is darkened with black or brown. 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

Host plants

Unknown

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica obscura Jacoby is very similar to D. apicalis Baly and D. olivieri Jacoby. They can be separated by the following features: the elytra are completely yellow in D. obscura, but with apicalapical:
of or pertaining to the apex; opposite of basal
black macula on each elytronelytron:
<em>(pl. elytra)</em> the fore highly sclerotized wing of beetle
in D. apicalis and D. olivieri; pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
is weakly bifoveate, with wide shallow foveae in D. obscura, but nonfoveate in D. apicalis.