Species Griburius montezuma

Griburius montezuma (Sufrian)

Orig. Comb: Scolochrus montezuma Suffrian, 1852

Specific epithet commemorates Montezuma.

Montezuma (c. 1466 or c.1480–1520) was the 9th ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520. It was during Moctezuma's reign that the Spanish Conquest began.

5 spp. n. of Mex. (1)

dets. E.G. Riley:

There exists a color form of this species where the ivory-white elytral markings are absent or nearly so, being reduced to a very narrow strip along the lower anterior portion of the elytral margin. From above, the elytra of these specimens appear to be entirely black. This dark form also has the pronotum almost entirely red, whereas the normal form has a large part of the anterior pronotal disc black and the extreme anterior edge creamy white.

The dark form is found in the eastern-most part of the species' range (from eastern Texas to Missouri and Florida). This color form and its eastern occurrence, neither formerly recorded in the literature, have resulted in the previous misidentification of this species. (2)

AZ-FL-MD-UT / Mex. (1), but mostly AZ & TX per BG data - Map (GBIF)

Eastern/dark form: TX-FL-MD-MO.

Western/pale form: AZ-TX-KS-UT / Mex.

End of March to late August (2)

Reared from larva taken in pack rat (Neotoma) nest. (2)

Riley, E.G., S.M. Clark, and A.J. Gilbert. 2001. New records, nomenclatural changes, and taxonomic notes for select North American leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Insecta Mundi, 15(1): 1-17. (2)