Diabrotica viridula (Fabricius)

Species name

Diabrotica viridula Fabricius 1801: 453 as Crioceris

Common name

Cucumber beetle

Type locality

America meridionali

Type depository

Type is lost.
MCZ, neotype, male, verified

Synonyms

fuscomaculata Jacoby 1878: 994 (type locality: Nicaragua; type depository: MCZ, lectotype, male, verified)

optiva Erichson 1847: 169 (type locality: Peru [from title of work]; type depository: MfN, lectotype, male, verified)

ornatula Baly 1886b: 224, 258 (type locality: Colombia, Muzo; type depository: BMNH, lectotype, male, verified)

inconstans Baly 1886b: 224 (type locality: Colombia, Ubaque; type depository: BMNH, lectotype, female, verified)

Diagnosis

Body length 4.7-5.5 mm. Body width 2.4-2.9 mm. Head basic color yellow or green. Antennae filiformfiliform:
slender antennae with antennomeres of similar shape
, bi- or tricolored, antennomereantennomere:
"segment" of antenna, more or less clearly separated
1 yellow or pale olivine, antennomeres 2-3 olive ocher, antennomeres 4-11 olive ocher or brussels brown. Maxillary palpi yellow, yellow ocher or amber yellow, labrumlabrum:
the "upper lip" of beetles, a movable sclerite joined under clypeus
black, chestnut or yellow ocher. Pronotumpronotum:
the notum of the prothorax with highly sclerotized pronotal disc
paris green, green, yellow or mustard yellow, subquadrate, deeply bifoveate, only pronotal base shagreened with microsculture narrow, long meshes. Scutellumscutellum:
small, usually triangular shield between the bases of elytra
yellow or amber yellow. Elytra green, yellow or rufous, with three chestnut spots on each elytronelytron:
<em>(pl. elytra)</em> the fore highly sclerotized wing of beetle
sometimes reduced to a variable extent, basalbasal:
of or pertaining to the base, as in the first, or basal segment of an appendage; opposite of apical
spots form a band, which may be reddish or ochraceous orange; two sulphur yellow patches present in specimens with no apicalapical:
of or pertaining to the apex; opposite of basal
dark spots. Elytral epipleura completely yellow or completely green. Elytral surface with five distinct sinuatesinuate:
curved in some way
sulci, strongest behind the humeral callus and extending beyond the middle, humeral plicae distinct. Sutural anglesutural angle:
the posterior angle or apex of the elytron near the suture
of elytra round, punctation dense, coarse. Abdomen yellow. Tarsi black, chestnut or yellow, tibiae black or chestnut, sometimes bicolored, yellow, outer edge with piceous or testaceous line, or extensively darkened. Femora yellow, yellow ocher or paris 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

Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Trinidad, Venezuela.

Host plants

Corn (Zea mays L.), beans, Cucurbitaceae, Cucurbita pepo L., Cucurbita moschata (Duchn. ex Lam.) Duchn. ex Poir, Cucurbita gracilior Bailey, Brugmansia candida Pers. (Krysan & Smith, 1987).

Potential problems with identification

Diabrotica viridula (Fabricius) is similar to D. porracea Harold and D. virgifera zeae Krysan & Smith. The reddish coloration at the base of the elytra usually allows distinguishing D. viridula from all similar species.