Diabrotica semicirculata Jacoby

Species name

Diabrotica semicirculata Jacoby 1887: 521

Type locality

Panama, Tolé

Type depository

BMNH, lectotype, female, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 5.0-6.2 mm. Body width 2.4-3.1 mm. Head basic color yellow. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bi- or tricolored, antennomeres 1-3 yellow, antennomeres 4-8 gradually infuscated, antennomeres 9-11 light cadmium. Maxillary palpi and labrumlabrum:
the "upper lip" of beetles, a movable sclerite joined under clypeus
black or chestnut. Pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
yellow or mustard yellow, subquadrate, weakly bifoveate, with wide shallow foveae, shagreened with minute wrinkles. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
yellow. Elytra yellow or rufous, with three small black spots on each elytronelytron:
<em>(pl. elytra)</em> the fore highly sclerotized wing of beetle
and with short humeral and sutural vittae. 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 yellow or mars yellow, tibiatibia:
<em>(pl. tibiae)</em> the forth part of the beetle leg articulated with femur on the one side and with tarsus on the other side
bicolored, yellow, outer edge with piceous or testaceous line, or extensively darkened. 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

Panama

Host plants

Unknown

Potential problems with identification

D. semicirculata Jacoby is very similar to D. relicta Suffrian and D. venancia Bechyné. They can be separated by the following features: in D. semicirculata tarsi and tibiae are yellow, but black or chestnut in D. relicta and D. venancia; head is yellow in D. semicirculata, but black in D. relicta and D. venancia. Diabrotica semicirculata is substantially smaller than both other species.