Diabrotica sinuata Olivier 1790

(Figs 36–47)

sinuata Olivier 1790: 106 [type locality: Cayenne; type depository: unknown (type specimens assumed missing)] as Altica .

abrupta Fabricius 1801: 453 (type locality: America meridionalis; type depository: ZMUC, lectotype, female, designated by Smith and Lawrence 1967: 30, examined). Bechyné 1956: 254 (synonymy) as Crioceris .

bivittula Klug 1829: 8 (type locality: Süd-Brasilien; type depository: unknown). Bechyné 1957: 135 (synonymy) as Galleruca .

brunneosignata Jacoby 1887: 512; (type locality: Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui; type depository: BMNH, holotype, male, examined). New synonym

capitata Fabricius 1801: 452 (replacement name for Galleruca melanocephala Fabricius 1798: 95). Baly 1890: 13 (synonymy) as Crioceris .

fulvomaculata Christensen 1943 (1944): 479, 483, 497 (type locality: Misiones, Pindapoy, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, not examined). Bechyné 1955a: 141 (synonymy).

melanocephala Fabricius 1798: 95 (type locality: Cajennae; type depository: unknown). Smith and Lawrence 1967: 91 (synonymy) as Galleruca .

melanoptera Christensen 1944: 479, 481, 495 (type locality: La Pampa, Gral. Pico, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, not examined). Bechyné 1955a: 141 (synonymy).

misionensis Christensen 1944: 479, 482, 496 (type locality: Misiones, Pindapoy, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, not examined). Bechyné 1955a: 141 (synonymy).

moseri Christensen 1944: 482, 498 (type locality: Argentina; type depository: Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, not examined). Bechyné 1955a: 141 (synonymy).

ogloblini Christensen 1944: 479, 482, 496 (type locality: Misiones-Loreto, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, not examined). Bechyné 1955a: 141 (synonymy).

pindapoyensis Christensen 1944: 479, 485, 501 (type locality: Misiones, Pindapoy, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, not examined). Bechyné 1955a: 141 (synonymy).

quinqueliturata Christensen 1944: 484, 502 (type locality: Misiones, El Dorado, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, not examined). Bechyné 1955a: 141(synonymy).

speronii Christensen 1944: 485, 500 (type locality: Misiones, Pindapoy, Argentina; type depository: holotype, Catedra de Zoologíá Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, not examined). Bechyné 1955a: 141 (synonymy).

Material examined. Crioceris abrupta: Lectotype female (ZMUC): 1) [TYPE]; 2) [C: abrupt a ex Am: mer: Schmidt]; 3) [LECTOTYPE Crioceris abrupta Fabr. Smith 1965]. Female (ZMUC): [ abrupta].

Diabrotica sinuata: Male (USNM): 1) [Mulford BioExpl 1921-22]; 2) [Cavinas. Rio Beni. Bolivia.WmMMann Feb. 1922]. Male (USNM): 1) [Mulford BioExpl 1921-22]; 2) [Cavinas. Rio Beni. Boliv Jan.W.M. Mann]. Male and female (USNM): 1) [La Esmeralda TFA June 51]; 2) [ExpFcoVen AltoOrinoco]; 3) [ Diabrotica “ melanocephala (= sinuata) Det. J. Krysan 198 [stricken out]]. Male (USNM): 1) [Trinidad BWI Piarco 8–10 Dec 1950 E.J. Gerberg]. Two males and a female (USNM): 1) [Mèrida (Vénézuela)]; 2) [Gift of F.C. Bowditch]. Male (USNM): 1) [Sapucay, Paraguay]; [WTFoster Collector]. Male (USNM): [Harold E Box Collection 1963]. One male and five females (USNM): 1) [St. Augustine, Trin. 27-VIII-53 (?) F.J. Simmons]; 2) [Appar. does not cause scarring of Jute 53-13625].

Diabrotica brunneosignata: Holotype (BMNH): 1) [Type]; 2) [V. de Chiriqui, 25–4000 ft. Champion.]; 3) [Godman-Salvin Coll., Biol. Centr.-Amer.]; 4) [ Diabrotica brunneosignata Jac. Type.].

Diabrotica sinuata is an extremely variable species (Figs 36–39). The type of Altica sinuata Olivier was not located (Smith and Lawrence 1967), nor were the types of Galleruca melanocephala Fabricius with which it was synonymized by Smith and Lawrence (1967). Our concept of D. sinuata is largely based on various identified specimens in the USNM, descriptions and illustrations provided by Olivier (1808), Barber (1947) and Bechyné (1955a), and type material of D. abrupta and D. brunneosignata . As suggested by all the synonyms available for this species, elytral color pattern varies greatly in D. sinuata, and the color pattern of D. brunneosignata falls well within this diversity. Our study of the internal sac characters (Figs 40–42, 45–47) confirmed that D. brunneosignata should be treated as a synonym of D. sinuata .

Diabrotica tripunctata (Fabricius, 1801) was previously treated as a synonym of D. sinuata (Smith and Lawrence 1967) . However, our study of the type material showed that it is quite different and should be treated as a separate species. We discuss this in detail under D. tripunctata . All taxa proposed by Christensen (1944) originate from Argentina and fall outside of our area of our interest.