Melobasis conicollis, Obenberger

Levey, Brian, 2023, A revision of the Australian species of the genus Melobasis Laporte & Gory 1837 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Part 3 (Revision of the azureipennis, cupricollis, iridicolor and melanura species groups), Zootaxa 5302 (1), pp. 1-100 : 49-50

M. conicollis Obenberger

(Figs 80, 89, 98)

Melobasis conicollis Obenberger 1942:101 ; Bellamy 2002:147; 2008:1317.

Type locality: Queensland .

Type specimens examined. Holotype ♀ ( NMPC) Queensland / costata Macl. H.J. Carter det./ Typus/ Melobasis conicollis m Type Det. Dr. Obenberger/ Mus. Nat. Pragae Inv. 22009/ Holotype Melobasis conicollis Obenb. Comp. with descr. B. Levey det. 1973

Diagnosis. Only ♀ known. General diagnosis: length 9.5 mm; head in lower three-quarters mostly dull greenish-bronze, the upper quarter brownish-bronze; the anterior margin of the clypeus coppery. Pronotum, scutellum and elytra brownish- to blackish-bronze. Underside mostly dull green; central half of prosternum and prosternal process golden green to green, laterally moderately densely clothed with short silvery pubescence, central part of the prosternum, prosternal process, mesosternum, central parts of metaventrite and abdominal ventrites glabrous.

Head ( Fig. 89 ): very densely punctate with small, shallow round to transversely ovate punctures, lower threequarter densely clothed, moderately long silvery pubescence, upper quarter glabrous; clypeal excision shallow arcuate, with a narrow, imperceptibly reticulate, impunctate border; clypeal peaks rounded; clypeal angles absent; vertex flat, slightly less than half width of head across eyes; eyes strongly convex.

Antenna: only basal two segments present.

Pronotum: 1.58× as wide at base as long in midline; anterior margin moderately bisinuate with a moderately developed median lobe, with a narrow complete beaded margin; posterior margin moderately biarcuate; widest near basal third; lateral margins weakly rectilinearly diverging from basal angles to widest point, before weakly almost rectilinearly converging to apical angles; basal angles slightly acute; as wide at base as elytra at base; lateral carina well defined, slightly curved, about three-quarters complete; punctation in central half very dense, consisting of transversely ellipsoidal punctures; punctation in lateral half very dense, the punctures mostly transversely ovate; spaces between punctures moderately strongly microreticulate; with a broad impunctate median line in the basal third; glabrous.

Scutellum: quadrate, shield shaped, about one-sixteenth width of elytra at base; microreticulate.

Elytra: 2.41× as long as wide at base; basal margin moderately biarcuate, moderately strongly widening from base over the humeral callosities thence slightly widening to midlength, before narrowing to the slightly acute apices; lateral margins from just behind midlength and apices serrate, with acute serrations; sutural margins slightly raised in apical half; each elytron with traces of two slightly raised intervals in internal half, punctation in internal half sparse, consisting of pin-prick and small, round punctures; punctation in external half, dense to contiguous, consisting of larger, round and transversely oval punctures, partly arranged in transverse rows; moderately strongly microreticulate.

Hypomeron: contiguously punctate with moderately large, shallow mostly round punctures, with dense short silvery pubescence, bottom of punctures not obviously microreticulate.

Prosternum: with a broad bead at the anterior margin; the anterior margin at the same level as the area behind; prosternal process strongly widening distally, very densely punctate with small, round to slightly ovate punctures, not depressed, glabrous.

Mesanepisternum: very densely punctate with small punctures of variable shape.

Central part of metaventrite, inner part of metacoxa glabrous, more sparsely and weakly punctate than lateral parts of these structures which are very densely punctate with round punctures, with dense moderately long silvery pubescence; central part of abdominal ventrites glabrous, more sparsely and weakly punctate than lateral parts of these structures which are very densely punctate with small lunate punctures, with sparse moderately long silvery pubescence.

Apical ventrite ( Fig. 98 ): lunate punctures contiguous near the lateral margin but not forming grooves; excision narrow W shaped, with a central spine like process, the lateral spines well developed very slightly divergent.

Fore tibia: straight.

Mid tibia: straight.

Tarsal claws widened at the base but without a basal tooth.

Ovipositor: not examined.

Comments: This species is most similar to M. apicalis , differing mostly in overall shape. The degree of similarity to M. apicalis will only be confirmed once the male of M. conicollis is discovered.

Bionomics. Nothing known.

Figures

FIGURES 87–93. 87–91 head:87.M.cupricollis Kerremans (J Warrumbungle Ranges, N.S.W.ANIC); 88. M.apicalis Macleay (J Mt. Hopeful, Q. TMSHC); 89. M. conicollis Obenberger (holotype ♀); 90. M. ordinata sp. n. (J); 91. M. jacquelinae Turner & Hawkeswood (J Queensland ANIC). 92–93 fore tibia M. apicalis Macleay (J Mt. Hopeful, Q. TMSHC): 92 anterior view; 93. posterior view. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 94–100. apical ventrite: 94. M. cupricollis Kerremans (J Warrumbungle Ranges, N.S.W. ANIC); 95. M. cupricollis Kerremans (♀ Cabramatta, N.S.W.); 96. M. apicalis Macleay (J Mt. Hopeful, Q. TMSHC); 97. M. apicalis Macleay (♀ Mt. Hopeful, Q. TMSHC); 98. M. conicollis Obenberger (holotype ♀); 99. M. ordinata sp. n. (J Quibray Bay, N.S.W. BLC); 100. M. ordinata sp. n. (♀ Menai, N.S.W. BLC). Scale bars = 1.0 mm.