Diabrotica tessellata Jacoby

Species name

Diabrotica tessellata Jacoby 1887: 505

Type locality

Bugaba, Panama

Type depository

BMNH, lectotype, male, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 7.0-7.5 mm. Body width 3.7-4.2 mm. Head basic coloration black. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bi- or tricolored, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
1 yellow, antennomeres 2-3 yellow, upper sides darkened, antennomeres 4-8 and 11 brussels brown, antennomeres 9-10 yellow ocher. Maxillary palpi and labrumlabrum:
the "upper lip" of beetles, a movable sclerite joined under clypeus
black. Pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
yellow or mustard yellow, subquadrate, nonfoveate, not shagreened. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
black. Elytra yellow or rufous, with three black bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
, sometimes reduced to variable extent. Elytral epipleura completely yellow, sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra round, punctation dense, coarse. Abdomen yellow. Tarsi and tibiae black or chestnut, femora yellow. 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

Panama

Host plants

Unknown

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica tessellata Jacoby is similar to D. gratiosa Baly. They can be separated by the following features: D. tessellata is substantially bigger and more convex than D. gratiosa.