Pseudotaenia frenchi ( Blackburn, 1891 ) Bellamy, 2006

Bellamy, C. L., 2006, Studies on the Australian Chalcophorini: a new genus for Chalcophora subfasciata Carter, 1916 and a review of the Pseudotaenia Kerremans, 1903 generic-group (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Zootaxa 1206 (1), pp. 23-46 : 29-30

Pseudotaenia frenchi ( Blackburn, 1891) , comb. nov.

(Figures 9–11, 16)

Chalcophora frenchi Blackburn 1891: 136 .

Chalcotaenia frenchi: Carter 1940: 382 .

Chalcophorotaenia frenchi: Bellamy 2002: 49 .

Type locality. “N. Queensland.”

Specimens examined. Holotype (♀) ( MVMA T­12018 /BUP­0919) (from digital photographs): Endeavour River [ CYP, S15° 28' 00.0" E145° 15' 00.0", elevation 11m]/ C. French's Coll 5.11.08/ Chalcophora frenchi Blackburn, N. Queensland; 1 ♂, N. Queensland, Newcastle Range, E. Georgetown, 1.iii.1993, J. Hasenpusch; 1 spm., E. Georgetown, White Springs Creek [ EIU], 6.iv.2003, P. Hasenpusch; 11 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀, N. Queensland, E. of Croydon, Marsupial Creek [ EIU, S18° 16' 36", E142° 40' 10", elevation 210m], J. Hasenpusch as follows: 1 ♀, 7.iv.2003 “ovipositing on Acacia , 2:30 pm”; 2 ♂♂, 2.i.2005 “emerged from Acacia leptostachya Benth. ” (new larval host record); 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, same data except 4.i.2005; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data except 8.i.2005; 1 ♀, same data except 11.i.2005; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, same data except 13.i.2005; 1 ♂, same data except 17.i.2005; 1 ♀, same data except 19.i.2005; 1 ♂, same data except 2.ii.2005; 1 ♂, same data except 7.ii.2005; 1 ♀, same data except 14.ii.2005 “reared from pupa”; 1 ♀, same data except 17.ii.2005; 1 ♀, N. Queensland, Croydon, Lake Bellmore [ EIU, S18° 11'3.03" E142° 15' 55.25", elevation 156m], 15.i.2005, P. Hasenpusch “washed ashore”; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, E. Forsyth , Newcastle Range, 4.iii.2005, J. Hasenpusch; 1 ♀ ( DPQA), Qld., 50 km SW Forsyth, 7.iv.1996, K. Halfpapp. The specimens reared by Jack Hasenpusch have been placed in the following collections: AMSA, ANIC, BMNH, CLBC, DPQA, JHCA, MHCA, NMPC, QMBA, SAMA.

Additional localities. Queensland, 22 km E. Georgetown [ EIU, S18° 17' 52.0" E143° 44' 19.0", elevation 480m], 8.ii.1997, 2 larvae ex. Acacia leptostachya, J. Hasenpusch & M. Powell ( JHCA); White Mts National Park [ DEU], iv.2000, S. Wilson, one elytra and last two abdominal plates, female, on ant nest ( QMBA); 100 km S. Normanton, 15.iv.2002, J. Hasenpusch, one elytron and thorax ( JHCA) .

Distribution. Australia, Queensland.

Biology/Bionomy. The first male specimen collected by Jack Hasenpusch (in litt.) was found on Eucalyptus microneura Maiden & Blakely , possibly an adult food plant of P. frenchi . The remainder of the specimens recorded above were reared from billets of Acacia leptostachya Benth.

Remarks. This species was overlooked or ignored in most subsequent works (e.g. Carter, 1929, Kerremans, 1909, Obenberger, 1926), so not surprisingly it has taken until now for the correct generic assignation to be recognized. Carter’s (1940) transfer to Chalcotaenia indicates both the previously uncertain division between that genus and Pseudotaenia , as well as a probability that he never saw the type. That P. frenchi was misplaced is all the more surprising because Blackburn (1891) compared it to P. gigas , P. superba and P. waterhousei in the original description and I acknowledge Mark Hanlon’s suggestion that this name was a probable match to the recent specimens collected and reared by Jack Hasenpusch.