Diabrotica paradoxa Jacoby

Species name

Diabrotica paradoxa Jacoby 1887: 506

Common name

Type locality

Teleman, Vera Paz, Guatemala

Type depository

BMNH, lectotype, female, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 5.4-6.4 mm. Body width 2.7-3.3 mm. Head basic color black. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, with thickened antennomeres 4-6, bi- or tricolored, antennomeres 1-3 yellow, upper sides darkened, antennomeres 4-8 brussels brown, antennomeres 9-10 yellow ocher, 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 mustard yellow, subquadrate, weakly bifoveate, with wide shallow foveae, not shagreened. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
yellow. Elytra yellow or rufous, with three black bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
on each elytronelytron:
<em>(pl. elytra)</em> the fore highly sclerotized wing of beetle
, sometimes separated by suture into two parts. Elytral epipleura completely yellow, sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra obtuse-angled, punctation scattered, fine. Abdomen yellow. Tarsi and tibiae black or chestnut, femora yellow. 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

Guatemala, Belize

Host plants

Unknown

Remarks

We studied the type series of D. paradoxa in BMNH and in MCZ. The male paratype from Yzabal in BMNH and female paratype from Teleman in MCZ are different species.

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica paradoxa Jacoby is very similar to D. pulchra (Sahlberg), D. p2n, D. p3n and D. p4n. They can be separated by the following features: there are three black bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
on elytra in D. paradoxa, but four black bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
on elytra in all other species; scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
is yellow in D. paradoxa, but black or amber brown in all other species.