Diabrotica sexmaculata Baly

Species name

Diabrotica sexmaculata Baly 1879: 81

Type locality

Guatemala

Type depository

BMNH, lectotype, male, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 6.5-8.0 mm. Body width 3.3-4.0 mm. Head basic color green. 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 olive ocher, antennomeres 4-10 orange rufous, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
11 dark apically. Maxillary palpi yellow or mars yellow, 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, bifoveate, with small round foveae, shagreened with microsculpture narrow, long meshes. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
black or olive. Elytra green, maculatemaculate:
(here) marked by maculae or patches of a different shape and size, usually clearly separated from each other
, with three large diffuse round sulphur yellow maculae on each elytronelytron:
<em>(pl. elytra)</em> the fore highly sclerotized wing of beetle
. Elytral epipleura completely green, sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra dentiform, punctation dense, fine. Abdomen pale olivine or green. Tarsi and tibiae yellow or mars yellow, 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, Guatemala

Host plants

Unknown

Remarks

There is a handwritten, presumably Baly's label "Diabrotica sexpustulata" on the type of D. sexmaculata Baly 1879: 81 (Smith and Lawrence 1967: 122).

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica sexmaculata Baly is similar to D. selecta Jacoby. They can be separated by the following features: head is green in D. sexmaculata, but orange or rufous in D. selecta; scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
is black or olive in D. sexmaculata, but yellow, orange rufous or amber yellow in D. selecta. D. sexmaculata is more robust and on average longer and wider than D. selecta.