Diabrotica speciosa speciosa (Germar)

Species name

Diabrotica speciosa speciosa Germar 1824: 602 as Galeruca

Common name

Cucurbit beetle, chrysanthemum beetle, San Antonio beetle

Type locality

Brasilia

Type depository

SDEI, lectotype, female, verified

Synonyms

hexaspilota Baly 1886b: 228 (type locality: Ubaque, Colombia; type depository: BMNH, lectotype, female, verified)

simoni Jacoby 1889: 280 (type locality: Colonia Tovar, Venezuela; type depository: MNHN, lectotype, female, verified)

prasina Dejean 1821: 118 as Galleruca (nomen nudum)

prasina Dejean 1837: 404 (replacement name for speciosa Germar 1824: 602)

simulans Baly 1886b: 222 (type locality: Eastern Colombia; type depository: BMNH, lectotype, female, verified)

Diagnosis

Body length 4.7-5.4 mm. Body width 2.5-3.2 mm. Head basic color yellow. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bi- or tricolored, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
1 pale olivine, antennomeres 2-3 yellow, upper sides darkened, antennomeres 4-11 cinnamon brown. 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
paris green or green, subquadrate, bifoveate, with small round foveae, not shagreened. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
piceous or black. Elytra green, maculatemaculate:
(here) marked by maculae or patches of a different shape and size, usually clearly separated from each other
, with three fuzzy-edged transverse yellow ocher 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 round, punctation scattered, fine. Abdomen pale olivine. Tarsi and tibiae black or piceous, femora pale olivine. Aedeagusaedeagus:
the main sclerotized part of the male genitalia; "aedeagus" is used here instead of "median lobe of aedeagus"
symmetric, with three internal sac scleritessclerites:
(here) the sclerotized hooks, spines or plates in the internal sac
.

Known distribution

Central and South America from Mexico to Argentina

Host plants

Lactuca serriola L., Solanum tuberosum L., S. sisymbrifolium Lamk., Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., Phaseolus L., Helianthus annuus L., Cucurbitaceae (Wilcox, 1972)

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica speciosa speciosa (Germar) can be separated from other subspecies by the following features: head is yellow or rufous in D. speciosa speciosa, while black in D. speciosa amabilis; medium and apicalapical:
of or pertaining to the apex; opposite of basal
maculae in D. speciosa speciosa are largebig and transverse, they reduced to the small yellow spots in D. speciosa vigens. Diabrotica speciosa speciosa is similar to D. hilli Krysan & Smith, D. linsleyi Krysan & Smith and D. viridula (Fabricius). Elytra are smooth in D. speciosa speciosa, but distinctly sulcatesulcate:
bearing the carinae or ridges on the elytron
in all other species. Internal sac armament is quite different in all similar species.