Melobasis cupreovittata subsp. queenslandica

Levey, Brian, 2018, A revision of the Australian species of the genus Melobasis Laporte & Gory 1837 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Part 2 (Revision of the nervosa species group), Zootaxa 4528 (1), pp. 1-79 : 21-22

M. cupreovittata queenslandica ssp. n.

(Figs 4–5, 43–44, 102–103)

Type locality: Queensland, Edungalba, Mourangee (23 o 41'S 149 o 49'E) .

Type specimens examined. Holotype ♂ ( QMA) “Mourangee”, Edungalba , Central Qld. , on Brigalow, Nov. to Feb . Paratypes as follows: Queensland : 1♀ ( QMA) QLD: 24 o 48 / S 149 o 47 / E, Brigalow Research Stn., site 4, 16 Dec. 2000 – 28 Mar. 2001, Cook & Monteith. 170 m ., FIT Brigalow, 10018; 1♂, 1♀ ( QMA) same data as Holotype ; 1♂ ( GWC) Edungalba, Qld. 28.xii.69, E.E. Adams, on brigalow sp .; 1♂, 1♀ ( MVMA) Edungalba, Cent. Qld. , 10.1.45, H.W. Brown / on Brigalow ; 2♀ ( BLC) Edungalba , C.Q., 4.12.70, R. Adams, per J.C. Brooks, 141 ; 1♂ ( BLC) Edungalba , Q, 17 Jan. 1950, E. Adams ; 6♀ ( QMA) Edungalba , Q., 30.iv.46, E.E. Adams ; 3♂, 2♀ ( WAMA) Mourangee, Edungalba , 7.1.45, on Brigalow, du Boulay coll. ; 1♂, 1♀ ( GHNC) Edungalba , Feb. 1964 & Dec. 1962, E.E. Adams, on Acacia harpophylla “brigalow ” ; 2♂, 2♀ ( NMWC) Edungalba, Dec. – Feb. 1945.–1946, on Brigalow ; 1♂, 1♀ ( IRSNB, NMWC) Edungalba , xii.1945, Deuquet Coll .; 2♂ ( GBC) Edungalba , 13.xi.73, E. Adams ; 1♂ ( ANIC) Edungalba , 28.xii.69, on Brigalow, E.E. Adams ; 2♂ ( ANIC) Edungalba , Central Q., Feb. 1960, ( EEA) / G.C.L. Gooding Collection donated to ANIC 1979 ; 1♀ ( ANIC) as above but Dec. 1958 ; 1♂, 2♀ ( ANIC) as above but 1957 ; 1♀ ( ANIC) Edungalba, C.Q., 12/63, E.A. / quadrinotata Cart. / J.G. Brooks Bequest 1976 ; 1♂ ( TMSHC) Mourangee, Qld. , 14 Nov. 1973, E.E. Adams, on Brigalow leaves ; 1♂ ( MVMA) Chinchilla , 9.1.26, F.E. Wilson Coll .; 1♀ ( ZMHB) Dawson Distr. , Barnard Coll .; 3♂, 1♀ ( MZUF) Australia: Qld., Duaringa, 11.1946, legit Smith ; 2♀ ( ANIC) Fletcher , S.Q., 2 Feb. 1946, E. Sutton ; 1♀ ( UQA) Jandowae, Q., R. Illidge ; 1♂ ( GHNC) Mackay, Q., A. Marriage Col., 1947 ; 2♂ ( ANIC) Marmor, 12/45, J.G. Brooks Bequest 1976 ; 1♂ ( NMPC) Rockhampton, C. Vallis , xii.1947 ; 3♂ ( ANIC) Rockhampton, Qld .; 1♀ ( ANIC) R’ton [ Rockhampton ], Q., Nov. 49, Mel. illidgei (Cart.) ; 1♀ ( ANIC) R’ton [ Rockhampton ], Q., Dec. 1947, A. Gemmell ; 2♀ ( UQA) Theodore, Q .; 1♀ ( NMWC) C. Q., Adams, 10.47 .

Other specimens examined. Queensland: 2♀ (MVMA) Toowoomba, Qld. W. Barnard; 1♂ (ANIC) Millmerran, 11.10.20, J. Macqueen; 1♀ (ANIC) Millmerran, November 1943, J. Macqueen. I have excluded these specimens from the paratype series as they exhibit some characters intermediate between M. cupreovittata queenslandica and M. cupreovittata cupreovittata (see comments under the species description). 1♂ 55 km W. of Emerald, reared from Acacia harpophylla, T.M. Hanlon & M. Powell , coll. 16 Jan. 2000, emerged 13 Feb. 2004; 2♂, 4♀ (ANIC) Edungalba, 1.45 & 1.46, S.R.E. Brock coll.; 1♂ (IRSNB) Keith, S. Austr., Deuquet Coll.. This specimen is undoubtedly mislabelled.

Diagnosis: General diagnosis: length 11.1–16.1 mm; head largely blackish-purple, in ♂ the fronto-clypeus more or less extensively green; in ♀ usually more narrowly coppery, or rarely green, on the clypeus; pronotum and elytra usually dull purple-brown, more rarely blackish-purple; elytra with the following pinkish-copper or rarely silvery-green markings: a narrow sutural vitta in the basal quarter; a broader slightly oblique vitta just internal to the humeral callosity, which is sometimes narrowly joined to the sutural vitta along the basal margin; a shorter, broad elongate vitta between the 1 st and 2 nd elytral costae at the mid-length of the elytra; a slightly elongate ovate macula in the apical third of the elytra, bordering the 2 nd elytral costa; an elongate macula close to the lateral margin, just posterior to the hind coxa; central part of prosternum, prosternal process, mesosternum, centre of metaventrite and ventrites 1–4 coppery, lateral parts of the former, the hypomeron and the apical ventrite black or blue-black; laterally densely clothed with fairly long translucent silvery pubescence, most of prosternum, prosternal process, mesosternum, and central parts of metaventrite and abdominal ventrites glabrous or very sparsely pubescent.

Head: as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata .

Antenna: as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata .

Pronotum: as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata but often with a narrow impunctate median line.

Scutellum: as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata .

Elytra: as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata but with the following differences: lateral margins with the serrations extending slightly further baseward, and enlarged sutural tooth of ♀ not spine-like.

Hypomeron: as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata .

Prosternum: as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata .

Measanepisternum: as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata .

Apical ventrite (Figs 102–103): as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata , but with the following difference: lateral spines of excision in ♀ parallel and separated from the lateral margin of the apical ventrite by well defined Ushaped excision (Fig. 103).

Fore tibia: as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata but teeth smaller and less obvious.

Mid tibia: as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata .

Aedeagus (Figs 43–44): as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata but apical setae bearing part of parameres slightly less widened.

Ovipositor: not examined.

Comments. This subspecies occurs in the Brigalow Belt of Queensland. It seems likely that it may come into contact with as in M. cupreovittata cupreovittata in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, and genetic introgression may occur. The ♀ specimen from Millmerran (Fig. 4), I have excluded from the type series has the excision of the apical ventrite like that of M. cupreovittata cupreovittata , and this specimen, and the ♂ specimen from the same locality, have the vitta between the 1 st and 2 nd costae at the mid-length of the elytra, and the markings in the apical third of the elytra intermediate in shape between that seen in specimens of M. cupreovittata cupreovittata , where these markings are separate but elongate, and the less elongate markings of typical M. cupreovittata queenslandica . The ♀ from Toowoomba I have excluded from the type series also has similar intermediately shaped markings, and lacks the blue-black lateral colour of the lateral parts of the underside typical of M. cupreovittata queenslandica , whereas the other ♀ from Toowoomba has markings like that of typical M. cupreovittata queenslandica .

Etymology. The name comes from the state of Queensland, where it occurs.

Bionomics. Adults have been collected from October to January on leaves of Brigalow, Acacia harpophylla F.Muell. ex Benth. (Fabaceae) . Larval host Acacia harpophylla .