Melobasis jacquelinae, Turner & Hawkeswood

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 : 52-54

M. jacquelinae Turner & Hawkeswood

( Figs 82, 86 , 91 , 101, 102 , 109, 110 )

Melobasis jacquelinae Turner & Hawkeswood 2003:16 ; Hawkeswood 2011:8; Bellamy, 2008:1324; Bellamy et al. 2013:58.

Type locality: Upper Castlereagh, New South Wales.

Type specimens examined. Holotype ♁ ( AMSA) Upper Castelreagh/ 30 Sept. 1981 /J.R. Turner/ Paratype Melobasis falsosimplex sp. n. B. Levey det. 1984 [ M. falsosimplex is a manuscript name given to this species prior to its description as M. jacquelinae , and this manuscript name will be found on specimens in various collections]. Paratypes as follows: 2 ♀ ( AMSA) Luddenham (Spence St.) 6 Oct. 1981, Jacksonia, J.R. Turner [one badly damaged by Anthrenus ]; 1 unsexed ( AMSA) Llandilo 28 Sept. 1981 J.R. Turner [fragmentary specimen].

Other specimens examined. New South Wales: 2 mls N.E. of Bald Nob; 4 mls N.W. of Bald Nob; Berkshire Park; 5–6 km. S.E. of Dundee; Lapstone Hill, Blue Mountains; Maroota; Ropes Creek; Sandy Point; Sackville; 5.45 mls West Binnaway. Queensland: Stanthorpe; near Wallungara Water Supply [presumably Wallangarra]. Specimens in ANIC, BLC, GBC, GWC, MMSA, QMA, SAMA, WAMA. Some of these specimens may be found bearing the names Melobasis falsosimplex or Melobasis pseudosimplex B. Levey det., both manuscript names.

Diagnosis. General diagnosis: length 8.1–12.1 mm; head in ♁ green, with vertex brownish-copper, sometimes entirely brownish-copper, ♀ brownish- or greenish-bronze; pronotum in both sexes brownish- or greenish-bronze, often with a slight reddish-purple reflections; elytra in both sexes olive green, often with an extensive, slight reddish-purple or coppery, reflection; underside greenish- or brownish-bronze, laterally moderately densely clothed with silvery pubescence, central part of the prosternum, prosternal process, mesosternum, central parts of metaventrite and abdominal ventrites glabrous.

Head ( Fig. 91 ): in ♁ contiguously punctate with very small strong round punctures, densely clothed with long silvery pubescence; in ♀ very densely to contiguously punctate with often slightly weaker punctures, densely clothed with silvery pubescence; clypeal excision very shallow arcuate, with a fairly broad, reticulate, impunctate border; clypeal peaks poorly developed, obtuse angled; clypeal angles not, or little indicated; vertex flat, in ♁ slightly less than half width of head across eye, in ♀ about half width of head across eye, when viewed from above; eyes in ♁ very strongly convex, in ♀ strongly convex.

Antenna: not sexually dimorphic; segment 4 triangularly expanded, segments 5–10 with expansion quadrate.

Pronotum: 1.56–1.69× as wide at base as long in midline; anterior margin moderately bisinuate with a moderately developed median lobe, with a narrow beaded margin; posterior margin weakly to modertely strongly biarcuate; widest at base or near basal third; lateral margins parallel to weakly rectilinearly diverging from basal angles to widest point, sometimes with a slight sinuation just anteroior to the basal angles, before weakly curvilinearly converging to apical angles; basal angles slightly acute; as wide at base as elytra at base; lateral carina well defined, straight to slightly curved, about two-thirds to three-quarters complete; punctation in central half dense to very dense, consisting of transversely ovate and ellipsoidal punctures; punctation in lateral half very dense to contiguous, the punctures transversely ovate to ellipsoidal next to the central half, becoming round close to the lateral margin; spaces between punctures imperceptibly to weakly microreticulate; sometimes with a partial or complete impunctate median line; glabrous in central three-quarters but with short to moderately long silvery pubescence in the lateral quarter.

Scutellum: appoximately quadrate, heart to shield shaped, about one-thirteenth to one-fifthteenth width of elytra at base; microreticulate.

Elytra: 2.44–2.61× as long as wide at base; basal margin weakly biarcuate, slightly to moderately strongly widening from base over the humeral callosities thence parallel sided to slightly widening to midlength, before narrowing to the rounded apices; lateral margins from just behind midlength and apices serrate, with acute serrations; sutural margins slightly raised in apical half to two-thirds; each elytron with traces of two slightly raised intervals in internal half, the associated punctation not arranged in regular longitudinal series, the punctures small, round, moderately dense, those of the subsutural depression slightly smaller; punctation in external half very dense to contiguous, consisting of slightly larger, transversely oval to ellipsoidal punctures, mostly arranged in transverse rows; weakly microreticulate.

Hypomeron: very densely to contiguously punctate with small, deep, round and ovate punctures, with dense, moderately long silvery pubescence, bottom of punctures shiny.

Prosternum: with a broad bead at the anterior margin; the anterior margin at the same level as the area behind; prosternal process slightly widening distally, moderately densely punctate with small, round punctures, glabrous.

Mesanepisternum: densely punctate with small punctures of variable shape, but inner third of sclerite often sparsely punctate.

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

Apical ventrite ( Figs 101, 102 ): lunate punctures very dense to partly coalescent near the lateral margin, but not forming grooves; excision in ♁ broad, U shaped, with a broad rounded lobe at the centre, with moderately long, well developed, slightly divergent lateral spines ( Fig. 101 ); ♀ much narrower, U shaped, with a moderately broad flange for its entire width, the lateral spines well developed slightly divergent ( Fig. 102 ).

Fore tibia: slightly curved, with a slightly developed setal brush on the anterior face at the apex in ♁; tibia slightly less curved in ♀.

Mid tibia: almost straight without teeth or a depression along the ventral face in both sexes.

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

Aedeagus ( Figs 109, 110 ): parameres gradually constricted before the apical setae bearing part; apical setae bearing part with lateral margins weakly curved, not widenened, with numerous, moderately long, slightly curved spine like setae, in addition to the usual long fine setae; median lobe with a slightly arrow head shaped tip.

Ovipositor: not examined.

Comments: This species is most similar to M. cupricollis and M. ordinata sp. n. See comments under M. cupricollis .

Bionomics. Adults collected from September to December. Adults have been collected on leaves and flowers of Jacksonia scoparia ,. Larval host Jacksonia scoparia .

Figures

FIGURES 82–86. 82 dorsal habitus: M. jacquelinae Turner & Hawkeswood (♀ Stanthorpe, Q.) Scale bar = 5.0 mm; 83–84 hypomeron: 83. M. cupricollis Kerremans; 84. M. ordinata sp. n. 85–86 prosternal process: 85. M. apicalis Macleay (J Mt. Hopeful, Q. TMSHC); 86. M. jacquelinae Turner & Hawkeswood (J Berkshire Park, N.S.W. BLC). Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

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 101–106. 101–102 apical ventrite: 101. M. jacquelinae Turner & Hawkeswood (J); 102. M. jacquelinae Turner & Hawkeswood (♀). Scale bars. = 1.0 mm. 103–106 aedeagus & apex of parameres: 103–104. M. cupricollis Kerremans (Nepean Gorge, N.S.W. BLC); 105–106. M. apicalis Macleay (Mt. Hopeful, Q. TMSHC). Scale bars of aedeagus = 1.0 mm; scale bars for apex of parameres = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 107–110. aedeagus & apex of parameres: 107–108. M. ordinata sp. n. (Quibray Bay, N.S.W.); 109–110. M. jacquelinae Turner & Hawkeswood (Berkshire Park, N.S.W.). Scale bars of aedeagus = 1.0 mm; scale bars for apex of parameres = 0.5 mm.