Diabrotica septemliturata Erichson

Species name

Diabrotica septemliturata Erichson 1847: 167

Type locality

Peru [from title of work]

Type depository

MfN, lectotype, female, verified

Synonyms

lineolata Kirsch, 1883: 202 [type locality: Bolivia (Itinere La Paz - Yungas, 2800-1300 M. altit.); type depository: MTD, lectotype, female, verified]

Diagnosis

Body length 6.0-6.8 mm. Body width 2.9-3.5 mm. Head basic color yellow. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bicolored, antennomeres 1 - 8 brussels brown, 9 - 11 light cadmium. Maxillary palpi yellow, 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, not shagreened. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
yellow. Basic color of elytra yellow or rufous. Elytra maculatemaculate:
(here) marked by maculae or patches of a different shape and size, usually clearly separated from each other
with two short lines on distal part of each elytronelytron:
<em>(pl. elytra)</em> the fore highly sclerotized wing of beetle
, short humeral and sutural vittae reach one third of elytral length. Color of maculae and vittae black, elytral epipleura completely yellow, elytral surface not sulcatesulcate:
bearing the carinae or ridges on the elytron
, sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
rounded, punctation dense, fine. Legs uniformly yellow. Internal sac bears five scleritessclerites:
(here) the sclerotized hooks, spines or plates in the internal sac
.

Known distribution

Peru, Bolivia, probably, throughout Amazon region.

Host plants

Unknown

Remarks

Diabrotica septemliturata is a part of a species group with yellow striate elytra, members of which are very similarly colored. Long series of specimens identified as D. septemliturata in Jacoby's collections (MCZ and BMNH) consists of different species. The male from Peru in BMNH collection, identical in coloration pattern with the type female, was treated as the male of D. septemliturata. In some catalogues (Wilcox, 1972), D. septemliturata is mentioned as occurring in Central America, however, specimens that we studied were from Peru and Bolivia only, therefore it is possible that D. septemliturata range does not go outside of South America.

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica septemliturata Erichson is very similar to D. apicicornis Jacoby, D. brevilineata Jacoby, D. palpalis Jacoby, D. fulvicornis Jacoby and D. sedata Baly. They can be separated by the following features: head and maxillar palpi are black in D. palpalis and D. fulvicornis, but yellow in D. septemliturata; femora and maxillar palpi are black in D. apicicornis, but yellow in D. septemliturata; labrumlabrum:
the "upper lip" of beetles, a movable sclerite joined under clypeus
is yellow of D. brevilineata, but black in D. septemliturata; D. sedata on average is larger than D. septemliturata. However, the most reliable feature that allows distinguishing D. septemliturata is the shape of the internal sac sclerite 5E (it is a flat plate, toothed apically and laterally).