Melobasis similis, Levey, 2012

Levey, Brian, 2012, 3464, Zootaxa 3464, pp. 1-107 : 75-76

M. similis sp. n.

( Fig. 140, 188)

Type locality: Western Australia, Wurarga, Marloo sheep station (28°24'S 116°29'E) .

Type specimens examined. Holotype ♂ ( ANIC) Marloo Stn. / Wurarga, W.A. / 1931–1941. A. Goerling . Paratypes as follows. Western Australia : 1♂, 3♀ ( ANIC, NMWC) same data as Holotype ; 8♂, 5♀ ( ASC), Buntine Nature Reserve , WA, -29 58 09.60, 116 35, 07.30, 6.ix.2010, on leaves of thin-leaved Acacia sp. , A. Sundholm, D. Knowles ; 1♂, 2♀ ( ASC), Buntine Rock, Buntine Nature Reserve , WA, -25 57 57.50, 116 35 11.30, 6.ix.2010, on leaves of Acacia sp , A. Sundholm, D. Knowles ;

1 ♂ ( TMSHC) Burracoppin, T.M. Hanlon & M. Powell, 20 October 2005, On Acacia leaves ; 1 ♂ ( TMSHC) Burracoppin, T.M.S. Hanlon , 15 September 2006, On flowering Acacia ; 1♂ ( GBC) Bonnie Rock , 13.10.1980, G. Burns ; 1♂ ( MPC) Dedari , M. Powell, 2 Oct. 1977, Acacia leaves ; 2♂, 1♀ ( WAMA) Dedari W. A., H.W. Brown ; 1♂, 1♀ ( ASC), Duladgjin Rock, WA, -31 10 17.00, 119 41 15.50, 26.ix.2009, on leaves of thin-leaved Acacia sp. , A. Sundholm, D. Knowles, M. Hanlon ; 1♂, 2♀ ( ASC), 13.5 km N of Galena Bridge , W.A., -27 43 12.90, 114 40 17.60, 31.viii.2007, on outer stems and leaves of Acacia oldfieldi . A. Sundholm, D. Knowles ; 2♂ ( MPC) 13 Km N. of Galena, 31 Aug. 2007, D. Knowles, on leaves Acacia oldfieldii ; 1♂ ( MPC) 13 Km N. of Galena, 31 Aug. 2007, M. Powell & D. Knowles, Acacia sp. leaves ; 1♂ ( MPC) 13 Km N. of Galena, 19 Oct. 2007, M. Powell, on leaves Acacia oldfieldii ; 3♂ ( ASC), 1.1 km W of Hines Hill , WA, -31 32 17.00, 118 03 40.00, 25.ix.2009, on leaves of thin-leaved Acacia sp. , A. Sundholm, D. Knowles, M. Powell ; 1 ♂ ( TMSHC) Marchagee Tk. 9.5 km W. of Midlands Rd., T.M. Hanlon, 14 Oct. 2007, on thin leaf Acacia leaves ; 2♂, 1♀ ( BMNH) [ Me ]ckering 84m, 9.1938, HWB, Brit. Mus. 1940-161 ; 4♂ ( WAMA) Merriden W.A., On Acacia , 12.x.1946, H.W. Brown ; 1 ♂, 1♀ ( TMSHC) 24 km W. of Sandstone , 4 Sep. 2006, M. Hanlon & M. Powell 3♂, 1♂ ( MVMA) Tammin, 20.6.36, H.W. Brown ; 2♂, 2♀ ( WAMA) Tammin Nov. 1946 du Boulay ; 3♂, 1♀ ( IRSNB) Tammin ex. Coll. Deuquet ; 1♂ ( ANIC) Wurunga W.A. [possibly Waroonga near Leinster, or Wurarga] ; 2♂, 1♀ ( ZMHB) W. Australia, Marloo Station , Wurarga, 1938, A. Goerling ; 2♂ ( TMSHC) 2.5 Km S. of Yellowdine, T.M. Hanlon & M. Powell, 22 October 2005, on Acacia leaves ; 1♂ ( TMSHC) N7 T, 34 Km E. of Yellowdine, W.A. 3 Nov. 2001, T.M.S. Hanlon, on narrow leaf Acacia ; 2♂ ( SBC) Yellowdine , 16.x.2001, S. Bílý ; 1♂ ( CLBC) 34 k. E. of Yellowdine, 21.9.96, Acacia ; 1♂ ( MPC) 74 Km N. of Zanthus , M. Powell, 22 October 1986, on Acacia leaves ; 2♂, 2♀ ( ANIC, NMWC) W.A. H.W. Brown, 4.10.36 [ex coll. J.G. Brooks] .

Diagnosis. General diagnosis: length 8.75–14.68 mm; head and pronotum greenish- or grey-bronze, laterally the pronotum may have a coppery reflection; elytra reddish-violet or reddish-purple with the following coppery, golden or blue-green markings: a sutural vitta in the basal quarter; an oblique humeral vitta internal to the humeral callosity of the same length, which sometimes extends laterally along the basal margin; a transverse median fascia of variable width extending laterally from the first costate interval usually to the lateral margin, but sometimes not reaching the lateral margin; a roughly ovate pre-apical macula; underside greenish- or grey-bronze with more or less extensive reddish-purple or golden reflections; lateral parts moderately densely clothed with moderately long silvery pubescence.

Head: upper third of vertex moderately densely to densely punctured with more or less round punctures, rest of head very densely punctured with mostly ovate punctures which largely coalesce to form dorso-ventrally orientated series on the lower half of the head; moderately densely to densely clothed with moderately long silvery pubescence; unpunctured areas shiny to weakly microreticulate; clypeal excision shallow, U or V-shaped, with an unpunctured weakly microreticulate border; clypeal peaks acute to obtuse; vertex flat, about half the width of head across eyes when viewed from above; eyes strongly convex.

Antenna: serrate from segment 3 or 4–10, the segments becoming progressively smaller and slightly less elongate, in ♂ the expanded part of the segments is quadrate, except for segment 3 which is triangularly expanded; in ♀ the expanded part of segments 4–7 are somewhat quadrate, and segments 8–9 almost triangular.

Pronotum: 1.43–1.61 times as wide at base as long in midline; anterior margin strongly bisinuate, with a moderately strongly produced median lobe; anterior beaded margin narrow, but well defined; posterior margin bisinuate; widest at or somewhat in front of mid-length; lateral margins diverging from posterior angles to widest point, more rarely parallel for a short distance in front of posterior angles before diverging to widest point, thence strongly curvilinearly converging to the anterior angles; as wide as or slightly narrower at base than elytra at base; lateral carina almost straight or slightly sinuate, about two-thirds to three-quarters complete; punctation sparse to dense medially, consisting of round punctures near the midline, lateral to this becoming larger and transversely elliptical, becoming very dense to contiguous in lateral half; usually with an almost complete unpunctured midline; sometimes with a small well marked depression near the lateral margin just behind the mid-length; usually shiny, but sometimes weakly microsculptured laterally; moderately densely clothed with moderately long silvery pubescence in lateral third.

Scutellum: almost square to shield-shaped, about one-tenth to one-twentieth width of elytra at base.

Elytra: 2.48–2.64 times as long as wide at base; basal margin almost straight to weakly bisinuate; slightly widening from base over the humeral callosities, thence parallel sided to mid-length, before narrowing to the rounded apices; lateral margins in apical third to half and apices with well defined acute serrations; sutural margins raised in apical half; with at least traces of three costate intervals; uniformly moderately densely punctured with very small round punctures between the suture and the first well defined costate interval; punctation between the first and second costate intervals denser, the punctures slightly larger; lateral to the second costate interval the punctation becomes denser to contiguous towards the lateral margin; weakly microreticulate.

Proepisternum: very densely to contiguously punctured with shallow ovate or lunate punctures, partly obscured by dense long silvery pubescence.

Prosternum: with a well defined bead at the anterior margin, the anterior margin at almost the same level as the area behind; prosternal process slightly widening distally, sparsely punctured with small round punctures, with a line of larger punctures close to the lateral margin; glabrous.

Mesoepisternum: shiny, moderately densely punctured with shallow round setae-bearing punctures, sometimes punctures confined to the posterior half.

Apical sternite: with small lunate punctures, mostly well separated and not coalescing to form grooves ; ♂ with excision shallow crescent-shaped about 2 times as wide as deep; ♀ with excision about 1.5 to 2 times as wide as deep; the lateral spines moderately developed in both sexes, as long as the width of the flange; distal margin of flange straight.

Mid tibia: ♂ curved, with a long setae-filled depression on the ventral face; ♀ straight without a setae-filled depression.

Tarsal claws: slightly widened at base, but without a basal tooth.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 188): apical setae-bearing part of parameres with numerous tiny spine-like setae in addition to the normal long fine setae; parameres strongly constricted just behind the apical setae-bearing parts.

Ovipositor: about four times as long as wide.

Comments: This species is rather variable but it is unlikely to be mistaken for any other related species, although females might be mistaken for members of the formosa species-group.

Etymology. This species is named for its superficial resemblance to some species of the formosa species-group.

Bionomics. Adults collected from late August to early November on Acacia (Fabaceae) leaves. Larval hosts unknown.