A revision of the Australian species of the genus Melobasis Laporte & Gory 1837 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Part 2 (Revision of the nervosa species group) Author Levey, Brian text Zootaxa 2018 2018-12-10 4528 1 1 79 journal article 27830 10.11646/zootaxa.4528.1.1 5f2a3918-af89-448e-be80-ee65faccff7c 1175-5326 2612549 BDC3CA73-9B9E-4331-870F-120458275358 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 .