Melobasis propinqua (Laporte & Gory, 1837)

Levey, Brian, 2012, 3464, Zootaxa 3464, pp. 1-107 : 53-54

Key to the species of the propinqua species-group

1 Base of elytra markedly biarcuate; each elytron with traces of four costae; upperside and underside golden-green, the elytra with a specifically diagnostic black pattern (Fig. 129)........................ M. eximia sp. n. ( gloriosa species-group)

- Without the above combination of characters................................................................ 2

2 Underside clothed with inconspicuous, very sparse, short, translucent, silvery pubescence; very large, robust species, 14–21 mm long ( Fig. 141) M. robusta Carter ( gloriosa species-group)

- Underside clothed with obvious, longer, denser pubescence; smaller, less robust species, usually less than 14 mm long..... 3

3 Elytra golden-copper with a diagnostic blue-black pattern consisting of a broad elongate vitta extending from the base to about the mid-length on each elytron, and a sinuate transverse mark just behind the middle which is narrowly prolonged basally and apically along the suture, and apically expanded laterally to produce a poorly defined arrow shaped mark; pronotum reddishcopper at centre becoming golden-copper laterally, with a pair of blue-black admedian vittae (Fig. 128); species from Northern Territory ................................................................................. M. dives Carter

- Elytral colour pattern not as above; species not from Northern Territory .......................................... 4

4 Pubescence translucent, silvery.......................................................................... 5

- Pubescence opaque, white.............................................................................. 6

5 Mesoepisternum microreticulate, with a few, shallow, setae-bearing punctures; elytral apices narrowly rounded, the sutural margins slightly divergent at the apex; colour golden-green, golden or coppery, with the elytral apices reddish-violet or greenish-blue; head clothed with obvious, long, outstanding pubescence, the setae only downcurved near the tip (soiled specimens may have the pubescence flattened) (Fig. 122) M. rectipilosa sp. n.

- Mesoepisternum shiny, with a few, to many small, variably shaped punctures; elytral apices broadly rounded, the sutural margins not divergent at the apex; colour rarely as above; if head clothed with obvious, long pubescence, then setae downcurved for most of their length..................................................... gloriosa species-group

6 Pronotum with a pair of well defined admedian vittae; elytra with contrastingly coloured vittae or fasciae (Figs. 120, 121)... ................................................................................................... 13

- If pronotum with indications of a pair of admedian vittae then elytra without coloured vittae or fasciae although the elytral apices may be differently coloured to the rest of the elytra 7

7 Unpunctured anterior border of pronotum broad and well defined at the centre, separated by a well defined groove from the rest of the pronotum ( Fig. 152); mesoepisternum with or without large shallow setae-bearing punctures on the disc; species from W. Australia.................................................................................... 8

- Unpunctured anterior border of pronotum narrow and sometimes poorly defined at centre, the groove often obsolete at the centre ( Fig. 151); mesoepisternum usually with some large shallow setae-bearing punctures on the disc; species from S. & E. Australia........................................................................................... 11

8 Mesoepisternum with large shallow setae-bearing punctures on most of the disc (Fig. 44); pronotum more or less reddishpurple in central third contrasting with rest of the green pronotum; midline of pronotum usually depressed with the punctation denser in the midline than on the immediately adjacent areas (Fig. 123) M. propinqua depressa ssp. n.

- Mesoepisternum with few or no large shallow setae-bearing punctures on the disk; pronotum not bicoloured; midline of pronotum not depressed with the punctation no denser than that of the immediately adjacent areas..................... 9

9 Pubescence of underside less coarse scarcely concealing the punctation; inner half of elytra usually with the punctation partly arranged in punctured striae, the associated interstriae less regularly punctured; colour very variable................... 10

- Pubescence of underside slightly coarser, partly concealing the punctation; inner half of elytra usually uniformly punctured; colour usually brown-bronze (Fig. 125); aedeagus usually with parameres slightly widening from base to mid-length ( Fig. 183).................................................................................. M. uniformis Carter

10 Upperside green or olive-green, the apices of the elytra reddish-purple or reddish-violet (Fig. 124); underside reddish-purple or blackish-lilac; aedeagus with parameres widest beyond the mid-length ( Fig. 182)..................... M. simulata sp. n.

- Colour very variable, but not usually as above; aedeagus with parameres scarcely widening, almost parallel sided in basal twothirds ( Fig. 185)............................................................... M. cuprifera (Laporte & Gory)

11 Elytra moderately shiny, usually with weak microsculpture; with indications of punctured striae and often costate interstriae in the internal half; pronotum usually slightly depressed or unpunctured in the midline................................ 12

- Elytra usually less shiny, with obvious microsculpture; with scarcely a trace of punctured striae or costate intervals in the internal half; pronotum usually neither depressed nor unpunctured in the midline; Tasmania, S. E. Victoria & A.C.T....................................................................................... M. propinqua porteri (Hope)

12 Pronotum often unpunctured for part of its length, in the midline, not or scarcely depressed ( Fig. 150); elytral interstriae usually not costate in internal half; elytral apices in male crimson or reddish-violet; S. Australia & N.W. Victoria .......................................................................................... M. propinqua verna (Hope)

- Pronotum usually slightly depressed and the punctation usually more dense in the midline than elsewhere ( Fig. 149); elytra usually with one or two costate interstriae in the internal half; elytral apices sometimes darkened, but not differently coloured from the rest of the elytra; New South Wales & Queensland .................. M. propinqua propinqua (Laporte & Gory)

13 Elytra blackish-lilac, blackish-green or reddish-copper with a blue-green, golden-green or reddish-copper sutural vitta, humeral vitta, median fascia and pre-apical macula, the median fascia sometimes joined to the humeral vitta (Fig. 120)....................................................................................... M. regalis regalis Carter

- Elytra reddish-purple with a broad bright green sinuate lateral vitta extending from the base to the apical fifth (Fig. 121)................................................................................. M. regalis carnabyorum ssp. n.