Uracanthus pseudogigas, Thongphak & Wang, 2007

Thongphak, Duangrat & Wang, Qiao, 2007, Taxonomic revision of the longicorn beetle genus Uracanthus Hope 1833 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Uracanthini) from Australia., Zootaxa 1569 (1569), pp. 1-139 : 40-41

Uracanthus pseudogigas , sp. nov.

(Figs 37, 75, 102)

Description

Male. Body length, 35.86–49.88 mm; width, 8.27–10.83 mm.

Colour (Fig. 37). Head, prothorax, legs and basal 1/10 elytra dark reddish brown to blackish brown; remaining elytra pale yellowish brown; antennae reddish brown. Head and thorax with dense, long, pale yellowish pubescence except a glabrous ψ- shaped or ‡-shaped mark on pronotal disc; elytra and abdomen with dense, short, pale yellowish pubescence. The ψ- shaped glabrous mark on pronotal disc may be complete or incomplete.

Head. Postclypeus semicircular, flattened, with fairly dense punctures; frontoclypeal suture deep and narrow in middle; distance between lower lobes of eyes 1.48–1.69 × as long as distance between upper lobes of eyes; distance between upper lobes of eyes 1.04–1.17 × as long as distance between eyes on ventral side; genal length 0.40–0.42 × as long as head width immediately below eyes; Antennae longer than body; segments 4 to10 flattened, produced on one side at apex.

Thorax and abdomen. Pronotum 1.02–1.53 × as long as width, with a small rounded process at each side; posterior margin 1.19–1.29 × as wide as anterior margin; pronotal disc finely punctate with two slightly raised nodules in middle. Scutellum semicircular and glabrous. Elytra 4.15–5.44 × as long as prothorax and 3.16– 3.46 × as long as shoulder width; each elytron with distinctly raised 4 longitudinal carinae; apex with an acute spine at suture. Apex of terminal sternite truncate.

Male terminalia. Apex of ventral median lobe widely emarginate and apex of dorsal lobe pointed; ventral lobe slightly shorter than dorsal lobe; internal sac with long simple spines throughout except short areas at base and terminal ( Fig. 75a); Eighth sternite rounded at side, emarginate at apex, with long and fairly long setae arising terminally; ventral surface with fairly dense short setae and dense cloud-like processes ( Fig. 75b). Eighth tergite emarginate at apex; basal surface with fairly dense simple and multi-branched spines ( Fig. 75c). Paramere 3.8–4.0 × as long as wide, cylindrical in shape, apex rounded with long and short setae ( Fig. 75d).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution

Southeastern Western Australia, southern Northern Territory and southern and eastern South Australia ( Fig. 102).

Biology

Known host is Acacia sowdenii . Adults were collected by pitfall and light traps during September– November.

Comments

This new species resembles U. gigas but differs in having the elytral apex with only one spine at the suture; ventral median lobe of aedeagus emarginate. This species was considered a variant of U. gigas by Rondonuwu and Austin (1988).

Material examined

Holotype. ♂. SA: Mulgathing HS, on bushes forming a hedge, F. & S. Aslin, terminalia slide no. m- 040529-1 ( SAM).

Paratypes. 24 ♂. SA: 1 ♂, Roxby Downs , from camp site, 26.x.1976, L. Williams ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, Woodland , H of Roxby, 25.x.1978, at light, Acacia sowdenii, L. D. Williams (SAM) ; 1 ♂, S Moonaree HS, 32 km, Gawler Ra , 4.x.1988, at light, J. A. Forrest ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, same data as above but terminalia slide no. m- 040529-2 ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, S Pimba, 106 km, 22.ix.1960, Austa ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, Arcoona W May Hill, 4–9.xi.1996, pitfall ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, Wirraminna , 27.x.1953, W. B. Tindale, E. S. J. ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, HW of SA, H. Basedow & M. W. Grace ( SAM) , terminalia slide no. m-040529-3 (SAM); 1 ♂, SW Table Hill, 7.2 km, Innamincka , 4– 9.xi.1996, Slony D. S ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, Hast Bluff, C. A, 5.ix.1957, N. B. Tindale ( SAM) . WA: 1 ♂, Gill Pinnacle , Mural cres, 10.xi.1963, at light, P. Aitken & N. B. Tindale ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, Lauviam , Kalgoorlie, 1898 ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, E of Terhan RH, 11 mile, 15.x.1960, Chinnick, McCade, Corby ( ANIC) . NT: 2 ♂, 4 mile S of Levin Mt. , 20.ix.1963, P. Ranford ( ANIC) ; 1♂, S by 41 km E of Alice Spring area , 4.x.1978, Upton & Barret ( ANIC) ; 6 ♂, 60 km Hamilton Downs Sin. NW Alice Spring , 11.x.1976, at light, G. Griffin ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Alice Spring , vii–ix.1957, N. Mollett, terminalia slide no. m-040529-4 ( SAM) . Locality unknown : 1 ♂, no data ( NMV) .