Diabrotica rufomaculata Jacoby

Species name

Diabrotica rufomaculata Jacoby 1887: 529

Type locality

Mexico, Yolotepec

Type depository

BMNH, holotype, male, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 6.7-6.8 mm. Body width 3.5-3.6 mm. Head basic color orange or rufous. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bi- or tricolored, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
1 deep malachite green, antennomeres 2-3 cinnamon brown, antennomeres 4-11 orange rufous. Maxillary palpi and labrumlabrum:
the "upper lip" of beetles, a movable sclerite joined under clypeus
mars yellow. Pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
green or deep malachite green, subquadrate, deeply bifoveate, shagreened with microsculptural narrow, long meshes. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
orange rufous. Elytra bicolored, with yellow disk and green margins, with one humeral testaceous macula and two diffuse testaceous maculae on elytral disk. Elytral epipleura completely green, sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra dentiform, punctation scattered, fine. Abdomen pale olivine. Tarsi and tibiae orange rufous, femora deep malachite green. 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

Remarks

Jacoby's (1887) description of D. rufomaculata is based on a unique specimen. Smith and Lawrence (1967) mentioned that the holotype is a female. We studied the holotype and found that it is a male. Two additional specimens in the Jacoby's collection in BMNH are females.

Potential problems with identification

Internal sac in D. rufomaculata is the same as in D. selecta Jacoby. The color and arrangement of the maculae on elytronelytron:
<em>(pl. elytra)</em> the fore highly sclerotized wing of beetle
allow distinguishing two species clearly.