Diabrotica tortuosa Jacoby

Species name

Diabrotica tortuosa Jacoby 1887: 530

Type locality

Mexico, Las Peras

Type depository

BMNH, lectotype, female, verified

Diagnosis

Body length 5.8-6.1 mm. Body width 2.9-3.0 mm. Head basic color orange or rufous. 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 2-11 cinnamon brown. Maxillary palpi yellow, labrumlabrum:
the "upper lip" of beetles, a movable sclerite joined under clypeus
yellow ocher. Pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
paris green or green, subquadrate, deeply bifoveate, not shagreened. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
yellow or ochraceous-orange. Elytra green, with three diffuse yellow bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
and apicalapical:
of or pertaining to the apex; opposite of basal
yellow spot. Area around scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
and humeri are tinged with amber. Elytral epipleura completely green. Elytral surface not sulcatesulcate:
bearing the carinae or ridges on the elytron
, sometimes with 2-3 short plicae in posthumeral area, sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra round, punctation dense, fine. Abdomen pale olivine or green. Tarsi and tibiae yellow or ochraceous-orange, femora uniform paris green.

Known distribution

Mexico

Host plants

Unknown

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica tortuosa Jacoby is similar to D. viridula (Fabricius) and D. scutellata Jacoby. They can be separated by the following features: elytra surface in D. tortuosa is almost not sulcatesulcate:
bearing the carinae or ridges on the elytron
, but with well-defined sulci in D. viridula and D. scutellata; there are three bandsbands:
(here) transverse maculae on the beetle elytra
and one macula on elytra in D. tortuosa, but only two macula present on elytra in D. viridula and D. scutellata; the head is orange or rufous in D. tortuosa, but green in D. viridula.