Pseudotaenia waterhousei ( Neervoort van de Poll, 1886 )

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 : 36-38

Pseudotaenia waterhousei ( Neervoort van de Poll, 1886)

(Figures 7, 15)

Chalcotaenia waterhousei Neervoort van de Poll 1886: 222 (nom. nov. for laeta Waterhouse, 1884 ); Kerremans 1892: 44.

Pseudotaenia waterhousei: Kerremans 1903: 81 (synonym of P.laeta ); 1909: 86; Obenberger 1926: 146; Carter 1929: 301; Pullen 1984: 17, 27; 1987: 23; Bellamy 2002: 57.

Chalcotaenia laeta (Waterhouse) 1884: 371 (preoccupied by C. laeta Waterhouse, 1881 ); Neervoort van de Poll 1886: 222; Kerremans 1892: 43.

Chalcophora laeta: Masters 1886: 69 .

Pseudotaenia laeta: Kerremans 1903: 81 ; 1909: 86 (resurrection); Obenberger 1926: 146; Carter 1929: 301 (synonym of waterhousei ); Bellamy 2002: 57.

Chalcophora superba: Barnard 1890: 180 (misidentification).

Type locality. None given.

Specimens examined. The ♀ holotype ( BMNH) of Chalcotaenia laeta ; 3 ♂♂, 1♀ ( CLBC), New South Wales, Round Hill , 2.xii.1995 , one Eucalyptus sp. leaves; 31♂, 1♀ ( CLBC), Sandy Hollow [ SB], 20.i.1996 .

Distribution. Australia, New South Wales, Queensland.

Biology/Bionomy. Barnard (1890) suggested that Acacia shirleyi Maiden was a larval host after observing the adults on lower trunks. Hawkeswood & Peterson (1982) and Hawkeswood (1983) recorded this species breeding in living stems of A. leiocalyx (Domin) Pedley in central southeast Queensland. Pullen (1984, 1987) summarized previ­ ously recorded biological and distributional information and included A. cheelii Blakely and A. doratoxylon A. Cunn. from localities in New South Wales. Mark Hanlon (in litt.) contributed the following notes: “In the paper by Barnard (1890), he mentioned P. superba , however this is P. waterhousei and the Duaringa area is the northernmost locality as far as I am aware. I confirmed this through discussions with Ernest Adams of Mourangee Station. I collected 16 specimens from a hilltop at Sandy Hollow, NSW., on 20 Jan 1996. All specimens were collected on eucalypt leaves among scattered eucalypt and Acacia doratoxylon community. Specimens are cryptic by nature and were found by scanning the crowns of eucalypts with binoculars. Average height of trees was 3–5 metres. The eucalyptus leaves showed considerable signs of damage from being eaten. This damage was not observed in subsequent years when no Pseudotaenia were found. Collected specimens were kept alive in vials, where they all, to varying degrees, excreted dark green material which smelled strongly of eucalyptus. At the summit of The Round Hill [on boundary of MDD & CP, S32° 57' 46", E146° 08' 56.8", elevation approx. 230m], Round Hill Nature Reserve, NSW, one specimen collected from leaves of mallee ( Eucalyptus sp ) on each of 26 Jan 1995 and 9 Dec 2000. Also seven specimens captured (three released) on 8 Jan 2005 and six specimens captured (two released) on 12 Dec 2004. All of these were found either by observing the specimens sitting on the eucalyptus leaves or by seeing specimens flying and landing on the eucalypts, then netting them. These eucalypts are from 2.5–3.5 metres in height. Again, all specimens collected excreted macerated eucalypt leaves. Furthermore, I have reared P. waterhousei : two specimens emerged 3 Feb. 2002 from billets of Acacia doratoxylon collected 15 Sep 2001 by Michael Powell and myself at The Round Hill, Round Hill Nature Reserve, NSW. The billets were approximately 1.2 m long and 8 cm in diameter and were cut from a dying tree.” Allen Sundholm (in litt.) added: "on 30 Dec 1983 one male adult specimen emerged out of a billet 1 metre in length cut by myself and Jim Turner from a recently­dead Acacia sp. (A.? doratoxtylon) along the walking track to Ben Halls Cave (Black Gin Gully) where the track began to rise [ NSS, at apx. S33° 54' 13.0" S, E147° 57' 07.1", elevation approx. 330m] at the western base of the Weddin Mountains (near Grenfell, NSW). The local habitat was dominated by the host Acacia species and Callitris glaucophylla Joy Thompson & L.A.S. Johnson (Cupressaceae) . The selected host tree had numerous old and recent emergence holes, and similar holes were noted at various heights on the trunks of about 20% of the host trees, living and dying, though most emergence holes were in trunks measuring some 10 to 15 cm in diameter and only a few emergence holes were present in host plants with thicker trunks. The selected billet was approx. 1 m long, averaged 10 cm in diameter and was cut between 1.5–2.5 m from the ground It was noted that the specimen bore only a small amount of pulverulence compared to netted specimens. On 6 Apr 1985 at approx. 21 km E of Kenebri in the Pilliga State Forests, NSW [ BBS, S30°39' 37.8", E149° 07' 54.5", elevation approx. 247m] an intact dead adult and a number of larvae of various stages were found by myself and Joe Bugeja within the recently­dead trunks of a tall Acacia ? leiocalyx (Domin) Pedley (Mimosaceae) . The trunk of the tree we had found these in was about 8 cm in diameter. Eighteen specimens were collected on 5 Dec 1995 by myself and Alex Scott from numbers of mallee Eucalyptus sp. some 2–4 m in height growing at the summit area of The Round Hill in Round Hill Nature Reserve, NSW [on boundary of MDD & CP, S32° 57' 46", E146° 08' 56.8", elevation approx 230m]. The adults were found either at rest on the leaves, some chewing the leaves, or flying from tree to tree, mainly the mallee­ Eucalyptus . Several adults (sex unknown) were recorded on video including one specimen which at intervals rapidly tapped its sternites against the upper stems as it moved about in the crown of a mallee­ Eucalyptus , making a tapping sound loud enough to be audible in the video recording. On 19 Dec 1997 one female specimen was collected by myself and Joe Bugeja from the leaves of a Eucalyptus sp. to where it had flown after having first observed the specimen walking down the trunk of a living Acacia spp. (A.? doratoxylon ) growing in a community of the same on a rock platform on the north side of a hill south of Hollydean in the Hunter Valley, NSW [ SB, S32° 20' 8.0", E150° 36' 60.0", elevation approx. 180m]. At this time other adults of this species were observed flying from tree to tree of the same Acacia sp. and to various Eucalyptus trees, but were not able to be captured due to their speed of flight and the height of the trees (15m +). One freshly­dead adult was found on the ground beneath the Acacia ? doratoxylon trees at this same locality in the early 2000's by myself and Raymond Chin. It was noted that since the earlier visit of 1997 many of the Acacia ? doratoxylon trees at this locality had died. I possess a specimen collected by M. De Baar from Acacia leiocalyx in Dunmore State Forest, QLD on 27 Dec 1980. On the 20 Dec 1981 several adults were observed by myself and Jim Turner amongst large Acacia sp. trees (A.? leiocalyx ) in Dunmore State Forest [Dunmore Forestry Station is located at BBS, S27° 34' 19.0", E151° 05' 3.0", elevation approx. 402m]. In late January 1999 two adults were collected in Dunmore State Forest by Roger de Keyzer at Observation Post 4 [ BBS, S27° 48' 1.0", E151° 1' 51.6" E, elevation approx. 410m] as they were flying around the crown of large Acacia sp. (A.? leiocalyx ) growing at the base of a laterite outcrop. Several adults on tall Acacia sp. (A.? leiocalyx ) in the western part of the Dunmore State Forests [ BBS, S27° 36' 32.47", E150° 41' 58.5", elevation approx. 348m], and where a number of fresh emergence holes were noted in the Acacia trunks."

Remarks. Kerremans (1903, 1909) proposed a reversal of the synonymy between P. laeta ( Waterhouse, 1884) and P. waterhousei ( Neervoort van de Poll, 1886) . This is not possible according to ICZN (1999): Article 59.3 which requires that the ‘junior secondary homonym replaced before 1961 is permanently invalid unless the substitute name is not in use’. Since waterhousei has been used a number of times (see synonymy above), this name will remain valid. The living specimen in Figure 15 is of an adult photographed in situ on the billet of the larval host (possibly A. doratoxylon ) a few moments after emergence (A. Sundholm in litt.).