Melobasis cuspidata, Levey, 2023

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 : 23-24

M. cuspidata sp. n.

(Figs 6, 22, 43, 44, 66, 67)

Type locality: Western Australia, Wyndham .

Type specimens examined. Holotype ♁ ( WADA) Wyndham — K.R.S. West. Austr. 3.9.1953 R. Lukins . Paratypes as follows: 1♀ ( WAMA) Broome 2.2 . 47 W. A./ du Boulay Coll. / 72-631 ; 1♀ ( WAMA) as before but 72-632 ; 1♀ ( TMSHC) Broome N.W. Australia H.W. Brown / No. 3 on Acacia Feb. 1947 H.W. Brown ; 1♀ ( SAMA) Derby, N.W.A. W.D. Dodd / compared with type H.J.C. / M. occidentalis Id. By H.J. Carter ; 1♀ ( MPC) La Grange W. Australia, 24 Apr. 1986, M.R. Golding Collection, on Acacia leaves .

Diagnosis. General diagnosis: length 6.4–8.3 mm; upperside and underside predominantly brownish bronze or greenish bronze, hypomeron, prosternum, prosternal process and mesanepisternum sometimes with coppery reflections; underside sparsely to very sparsely clothed with short silvery pubescence in central parts, laterally densely clothed with long silvery pubescence.

Head (Fig. 22): ♁ contiguously punctate with very small strong punctures, the rims of the punctures shiny, densely clothed with long silvery pubescence which partly conceals the punctation; ♀ very densely to contiguously punctate with slightly larger, weaker punctures,

the pubescence less dense; clypeal excision a broad shallow V shape, the clypeal peaks scarcely developed or almost rounded, the clypeal angles very slightly indicated; vertex flat, about half width of head across eyes when viewed from above; eyes moderately to very strongly convex.

Antenna: ♁ (holotype) only first two segments present; ♀ segment 4 subtriangularly expanded, segments 5–10 with expansion quadrate, very slightly petiolate at base.

Pronotum: 1.54–1.62× as wide at base as long in midline; anterior margin moderately strongly bisinuate with a broad well developed median lobe, with a well developed entire beaded margin; posterior margin weakly bisinuate; widest near basal quarter to basal third; lateral margins almost parallel in basal quarter, with a slight or marked sinuation just behind the widest point, weakly curvilinearly converging from widest point to apical angles; basal angles right-angled; slightly narrower to as wide at base as elytra at base; lateral carina sharp well defined, slightly to strongly sinuate near base, about two-thirds to three-quarters complete; punctation in central half very dense, consisting of small transversely ovate to ellipsoidal punctures, mostly arranged in regular transverse series, usually with an incomplete impunctate median line; punctation in lateral half, slightly larger, very dense to contiguous, the punctures mostly ovate or round; spaces between punctures weakly to moderately strongly microreticulate; with moderately long silvery pubescence close to the lateral margin and usually more extensively near the anterior angle.

Scutellum: as long as wide to slightly transverse, shield shaped, about one-fourteenth to one-eleventh width of elytra at base; moderately strongly microreticulate.

Elytra: 2.12–2.30× as long as wide at base; basal margin weakly bisinuate, moderately strongly widening from base over the humeral callosities thence very slightly widening to midlength, before narrowing to the rounded apices; lateral margins in apical half and apices serrate, with rather widely spaced acute serrations; sutural margins slightly raised in apical half; subsutural depression sparsely to moderately densely punctured with very small round and pin-prick punctures; punctation lateral to subsutural depression in inner half consisting of small mostly round punctures partly arranged in regular longitudinal series, without costae but alternate interstriae sometimes slightly costate; punctation in lateral half very dense to contiguous consisting of slightly larger transversely ovate and ellipsoidal punctures, partly arranged in transverse series; moderately strongly microreticulate between the punctures.

Hypomeron: contiguously punctate with medium sized, very shallow, round and ovate punctures, densely clothed with long silvery pubescence which partly conceals the punctation.

Prosternum: with a moderately wide bead at the anterior margin; the anterior margin at about the same level as the area behind; with moderately dense long silvery pubescence confined to the lateral half; prosternal process strongly widening distally, less wide than long at its widest point, sparsely punctate with small round punctures, glabrous, or with very sparse, vert short, scattered, silvery pubescence.

Mesanepisternum: contiguously punctate, with some moderately large very shallow round and ovate setae bearing punctures in anterior half, very densely punctate with variably shaped and very small punctures over the rest of the surface.

Central part of metaventrite and inner third of metacoxae, very sparsely punctate with tiny round punctures, glabrous; punctation of lateral parts composed of moderately large to large, contiguous round and lunate punctures, densely clothed with long silvery pubescence; abdominal ventrites very sparsely clothed with moderately long silvery pubescence at centre, densely clothed with long silvery pubescence laterally; punctation sparse to moderately dense at centre, composed of very small elongate lunate punctures, laterally with much larger, contiguous lunate punctures.

Apical ventrite (Figs 43, 44): lunate punctures coalescing to form well defined grooves parallel to the lateral margin; excision in ♁ broad, very slightly W shaped, with a broad, almost straight flange, slightly produced at the centre, with well developed, moderately long, parallel lateral spines (Fig. 43); ♀ moderately broad, U shaped with a very well developed flange and moderately long, strongly divergent lateral spines (Fig. 44).

Fore tibia: ♁ moderately strongly curved, with a setal brush in apical fifth on the anterior face; ♀ slightly less curved.

Mid tibia: ♁ moderately strongly curved, moderately swollen, with a narrow shallow, setae filled depression in apical half, on the ventral face; ♀ slightly curved, without a depression.

Aedeagus (Figs 66, 67): parameres without spine like setae, only the usual long fine setae; apex of median lobe acute.

Ovipositor: elongate, more than five times as long as wide at its widest point.

Comments. This species is most similar to M. melanura Kerremans in overall habitus but the form of the excision of the apical ventrite in the male is different (compare Figs 47 & 66); the apex of the median lobe of the aedaegus is different (acute in M. cuspidata ; narrowly truncate in M. melanura ), and the apical part of the parameres in M. melanura have spine like setae which are absent in M. cuspidata . The known distributions are also different: M. cuspidata is only known from N.W. Australia and M. melanura is only known from Queensland.

Etymology. Named for the acutely pointed tip of the median lobe, which is unique, as far as is known, for a species in this species group.

Bionomics. Adults collected on Acacia leaves. Adults collected in September, February and April. Larval host unknown.