Dibolia cf. obscura Parry

Eiseman, Charles S., Feldman, Tracy S. & Palmer, Michael W., 2024, New larval host records, parasitoid records, and DNA barcoding data for North American leaf-mining leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea), Zootaxa 5549 (1), pp. 1-60 : 42

Dibolia cf. obscura Parry

( Figs. 95–96 , 104 , 162 )

Reared specimens. COLORADO: Chaffee Co., Nathrop, Mesa Antero , 8.vii.2015, em. 28.vii.2015, C.S. Eiseman, ex Penstemon griffinii , # CSE1864 (2 females, MLBM) .

Other collected mines. COLORADO: Fremont Co., Bear Creek, Forest Rd. 101, off of 49 Rd , 7.vii.2015, C.S. Eiseman, Penstemon griffinii .

Host. * Plantaginaceae : Penstemon griffinii A. Nelson.

Biology. Nothing has been published previously about the host or habits of Dibolia obscura . The larvae form full-depth blotch mines in the basal leaves and occasionally in the lower cauline leaves ( Figs. 95–96 ). The mines often include the leaf apex and occupy the full width of the leaf, sometimes extending all the way to the base. Frass is in randomly scattered particles. The larva is yellow-orange as in other Dibolia species, but unlike D. borealis , D. chelones , and D. melampyri , the prothorax is concolorous and the head is only slightly darker than the rest of the body ( Fig. 104 ).

Parasitoid. An adult Neochrysocharis arizonensis (Crawford) ( Eulophidae ) emerged from an aborted mine from the collection that produced the two adult beetles (CSE1740, BMNH).

Notes. Our reared adults are likely Dibolia obscura , but unfortunately both are females, and confident identification requires examination of the male genitalia (S.M. Clark in litt.). Three Dibolia species have been associated with Penstemon previously, and all of them exclusively so: D. catherina Mignot , D. penstemonis Parry , and D. reyheria Mignot ( Clark et al. 2004) . We have found similar leaf mines on a shrubby Penstemon at Icicle Gorge, Chelan County, Washington (probably P. fruticosus (Pursh) Greene ); based on known distributions ( Riley et al. 2003), these were likely the work of either D. penstemonis or D. libonoti Horn (the latter has not been associated with any host plant).

Figures

FIGURES 89–98. Leaf mines of Alticini spp.; 89: Altica cf. lazulina on Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia; 90: Dibolia borealis on Plantago major; 91: D. chelones on Chelone glabra (larva producing squiggly frass); 92: same (two larvae producing central frass lines); 93: D. melampyri on Melampyrum lineare; 94: same; 95: D. cf. obscura on Penstemon griffinii; 96: same; 97: Mantura floridana on Persicaria virginiana; 98: M. floridana on Oxalis stricta.

FIGURES 103–106. Larvae of Alticini spp.; 103: late instar of Altica cf. lazulina, feeding externally on Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia; 104: Dibolia cf. obscura; 105: Phyllotreta liebecki; 106: Phyllotreta sp. 2.

FIGURES 162–173. Chrysomeloidea adults; 162: Dibolia cf. obscura; 163: Mantura floridana; 164: Phyllotreta liebecki; 165: Phyllotreta sp. 2; 166: Monoxia elegans; 167: M. inornata; 168: Monoxia sp. 1; 169: Monoxia sp. 2; 170: Monoxia sp. 3; 171: Yingabruxia brisleyi; 172: Zeugophora puberula; 173: Z. varians.