SEX-RELATED COLOR PATTERNS IN ELYTRAL VITTAE OF DIABROTICA-VIRGIFERA-VIRGIFERA (COLEOPTERA, CHRYSOMELIDAE)

We evaluated the color patterns of elytral vittae by sex in adults of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte. Our study examined >1000 beetl es taken from a field population, a laboratory colony, and a reference collection containing 712 specimens from 15 of the United States and from the province of Ontario, Canada. The humeral and sutural vittae o f each beetle's elytra were classified as being separate, partially co nfluent, or totally confluent with each other. The distribution of the se elytral patterns was not independent of sex. Males tended to have c onfluent or partially confluent vittae, whereas females largely had se parate vittae. Nonetheless, all three patterns of elytral vittae were found in both sexes of D. v. virgifera, and many beetles of each sex h ad partially confluent vittae. This data shows that sexing D. v. virgi fera beetles by simple examination of elytral vittae alone is unreliab le.