Estimation of polymorphic pattern on prothorax back and elytrum of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, in the vicinities of Kazan City

Abstract

The discrepancy between the frequencies of prothorax back patterns in the natural potato beetle polulations from the vicinities of Kazan City and those in the superpopulations determined by Fasulati (1987) was revealed. The differences in the distribution of the pattern elements, including forms 2, 5, and 8, on the prothorax back were not found. A system of elytrum patterns (variatns with joined strips and crossbars between them) is proposed. In the natural potato beetle populations, among the pattern elements considered only the distributuion of crossbars between strips and the degree of their asymmetry corresponds to the environmental gradients-illumination and humidity.