Melobasis inflammabilis, Thomson, 1879

Levey, Brian, 2012, 3464, Zootaxa 3464, pp. 1-107 : 18-19

M. inflammabilis Thomson

(Figs. 71, 87, 144, 160)

Melobasis inflammabilis Thomson 1879: 22 ; Kerremans 1892: 105; 1903: 159; Carter 1923: 82; Obenberger 1930: 436; Carter 1931: 108; Bellamy 2002: 166; 2008: 1337. Stat. rev. (not syn. of M. vittata Blackburn ).

Melobasis terminata Kerremans, 1898: 127 ; 1903: 159; Carter, 1923: 74 & 78; 1929: 286; Obenberger 1930: 435; Bellamy 2002: 165; 2008: 1335. Syn. n.

Type locality: Australia .

Type specimens examined. Melobasis inflammabilis Holotype ♂ ( MNHN), Th. Type / inflammabilis Thoms. (M.ss.) Type Ap. 1.19/ Ex. Musaeo James Thomson / Holotype Melobasis inflammabilis Thomson B. Levey det.

Melobasis terminata Holotype ♀? ( BMNH) , Holotype / Type, Melbourne Staud. terminatis (sic) Kerr. Type/ M. terminata Kerrem. Melbourne / Kerremans 1903 -59/ HOLOTYPE Melobasis terminata Kerremans B. Levey det. 1990.

Other specimens examined. Western Australia: Carnac Is.; Cottesloe; Myalup; Naval Base; Perth; South Perth; Singleton Beach; Yanchep.

Queensland: no locality (Challenger Expedition), undoubtedly wrongly labelled. Specimens examined from AM, ANIC, BMNH, MMSA, MVMA, SAMA, WAMA.

Diagnosis. General diagnosis: length 4.6–6.9 mm. Head green; pronotum green; elytra in ♂ green with the suture narrowly, and the apex and lateral margin broadly reddish-copper, in ♀ reddish-copper with a narrow sutural vitta extending from the base to the apical third of the elytra, and a broad lateral vitta extending from the basal angle along the lateral margin for two-thirds or more the length of the elytra, green; underside green.

Head: very densely punctured in ♂, densely punctured in ♀ with small fairly deep round to ovate punctures, with sparse very short inconspicuous setae, mainly confined to the lower half of the head; strongly microreticulate; clypeal excision shallow U-shaped, with a narrow strongly microreticulate unpunctured border, sometimes confined to the centre; clypeal peaks obtusely angled; vertex strongly convex, about half width of head across eyes when viewed from above; eyes moderately convex, sometimes less so in ♀.

Antennae: serrate from segment 4–10, the segments becoming progressively smaller and less elongate; the expanded part of segment 4 triangular, that of segments 5–10 quadrate.

Pronotum: 1.63–1.67 times as wide at base as long in midline; anterior margin strongly bisinuate, with a well developed broad median lobe; posterior margin strongly biarcuate; widest at or near the mid-length; lateral margins slightly almost rectilinearly diverging to widest point from posterior angles, then slightly more strongly, curvilinearly converging to the anterior angles; as wide at base as elytra at base; lateral carina curved, about twothirds complete; punctures in central quarter of pronotum very sparse, very small, transverse, becoming slightly larger laterally, with a tendency to form sinuate transverse series, gradually changing to larger, stronger and much denser ovate and round punctures in the lateral third; weakly to moderately strongly microreticulate at centre, becoming strongly microreticulate laterally; midline sometimes unpunctured for most of its length

Scutellum: almost rectangular to shield-shaped, about one-eleventh width of elytra at base; weakly to moderately strongly microreticulate.

Elytra: basal margin strongly biangulate; slightly to moderately strongly widening over the humeral callosities, thence almost parallel sided to slightly beyond the mid-length, before narrowing to the broadly rounded apices, lateral margins from mid-length and apices with fine acute serrations, those at the apex being smaller; sutural margin moderately strongly raised in apical three-quarters; without punctured striae or costae; the punctation of the subsutural depression consisting of tiny round widely spaced punctures, which become progressively larger denser and more transversely lunate as one approaches the lateral margin, becoming contiguous and forming transverse ridges close to epipleura, particularly near the elytral apices; reticulate microsculpture weak on the inner half, becoming stronger on the densely punctured lateral parts.

Proepisternum: densely punctured, with moderately large, very shallow, round punctures; pubescence very sparse, short and inconspicuous.

Prosternum: without a bead at the anterior margin, the anterior margin at the same level as the area behind; prosternal process very slightly widening from base, very sparsely punctured with pin-prick punctures, with a line of much larger partly coalescent punctures close to the lateral margin; glabrous or with a few very short setae.

Mesoepisternum: microreticulate and more or less densely punctured with small round and vermiform punctures (Fig. 41).

Apical sternite ( Fig. 144): with contiguous lunate punctures laterally; excision in both sexes shallow, much wider than deep, the distal margin of the flange weakly bisinuate, the lateral spines short, parallel, about as long as the depth of the flange.

Tarsal claws: abruptly widened at base.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 160).

Ovipositor: about as long as wide.

Comments. In the field this species is only likely to be confused with males of M. duplexicolor sp. n. or M. paucipunctata sp. n.

Bionomics. Adults collected December to January. Adults collected on Acacia rostellifera Benth. (Fabaceae) . Larval hosts unknown.