Morphological and molecular characterization of a new species of Diabrotica (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae)

Abstract

The new species Diabrotica wartensis Cabrera & Sosa-Gómez was found feeding on roots and leaves of sunflower and soybean in the north of the state of Paraná. A set of characters of diagnostic value: mouthparts, hind wing venation, binding patch, metendosternite, and details of male and female genitalia previously overlooked in the genus was provided. In addition to the morphological characterization, the molecular analyses of the COI mitochondrial gene and the ITS-1 rDNA nuclear region were included. The analysis of the ITS-1 nuclear region alone suggests proximity of D. wartensis to the Diabrotica fucata group, whereas molecular evidence based on combined analysis of COI and ITS-1 region suggest that this new species is distantly related to the Diabroticina with known sequences deposited in the GenBank.