Uracanthus loranthi Lea, 1916

Thongphak, Duangrat & Wang, Qiao, 2007, Taxonomic revision of the longicorn beetle genus Uracanthus Hope 1833 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Uracanthini) from Australia., Zootaxa 1569 (1569), pp. 1-139 : 43-44

Uracanthus loranthi Lea, 1916

(Figs 39, 77, 104)

Uracanthus loranthi Lea, 1916: 380 .— McKeown, 1947: 65; Duffy, 1963: 117.

Description

Male. Body length, 12.58–15.70 mm; width, 2.13–2.87 mm.

Colour (Fig. 39). Body reddish brown with head, thorax, antennae, scutellum, and basal elytra often darker. Head with fairly dense golden pubescence. Pronotum with a wide longitudinal stripe of dense golden pubescence on each side of disc, a median wide longitudinal stripe of sparse pubescence (may be divided into two by a narrow median glabrous line), and a narrow longitudinal stripe of dense golden pubescence on each side near sternum. Elytral disc covered with fairly dense short golden pubescence particularly on apical ½. Body colour varies from reddish brown to yellowish brown.

Head. Postclypeus semicircular, flattened, with fine punctures; frontoclypeal suture deep and narrow in middle; distance between lower lobes of eyes 1.92–2.0 × as long as distance between upper lobes of eyes; distance between upper lobes of eyes 0.68–0.70 × as long as distance between eyes on ventral side; genal length 0.27–0.30 × as long as head width immediately below eyes; Antennae slightly shorter than body; segments 5– 10 subcylindrical and slightly produced on one side at apex.

Thorax and abdomen. Pronotum 1.22–1.46 × as long as width, strong rounded at side; posterior margin 1.05–1.06 × as wide as anterior margin; pronotal disc feebly binodulose in middle area and finely punctate; disc and side strongly rugose transversely. Scutellum semicircular, glabrous. Elytra 3.72–4.36 × as long as prothorax and 3.67–4.35 × as long as shoulder width; each elytron with 3 feeble longitudinal carinae; basal half of elytra with dense coarse punctures and apical half with fine punctures; apex truncate or slightly emarginate with a small process at margin and suture, respectively. However, the elytral apex may be clearly bispinose in some specimens. Apex of terminal sternite truncate.

Male terminalia. Apex of ventral median lobe rounded to slightly pointed and and apex of dorsal lobe rounded; dorsal lobe almost as long as ventral lobe; internal sac with dense simple and long spines except short unspined basal and terminal areas ( Fig. 77a). Eighth sternite obliquely truncate at sides, truncate and slightly emarginate at apex, with long and fairly long setae arising terminally; ventral surface with sparse cloud-like processes ( Fig. 77b). Eighth tergite shallowly emarginate at apex, with dense setae arising from apical ½; surface with fairly dense multi-branched spines near base and fairly dense simple spines in mid area ( Fig. 77c). Paramere 2.0–2.12 × as long as wide, cylindrical in shape; apex rounded with long and short setae ( Fig. 77d).

Female. Body length, 12.86–17.41 mm; width, 2.48–3.12 mm.

Abdomen more robust, antennae and legs shorter; the median longitudinal glabrous line on pronotal disc more obvious and broader; elytra 3.44–4.72 × as long as prothorax and 3.68–4.21 × as long as shoulder width.

Ovipositor and spermatheca. Ovipositor short; styli arising terminally with short hairs ( Fig. 77e). Spermatheca short and robust, slightly curved; spermathecal gland short, arising from basal 1/3 ( Fig. 77f).

Distribution

Eastern, southeastern and southern Queensland, eastern New South Wales, Southern and central Victoria, southeastern South Australia, southern Western Australia, northern & central Australian Capital Territory, and southern Northern Territory ( Fig. 104).

Biology

Known hosts are Loranthus sp. , Acacia sp. and mistletoe on Casuarina sp. Adults were collected between September and April by light trap and beating from Loranthus sp.

Comments

This species closely resembles U. acutus but differs in having the elytral apex truncate or bispinose and the male eighth tergite truncate and slightly emarginate.

Material examined

Holotype. ♂. VIC: Melbourne, 15.v.1916, Coll. no. T-8880; bearing a red holotype label; left antenna damaged; right antenna and left mid tibia and tarsus missing ( NMV).

Paratypes. 2 ♀. VIC: 1 ♀, Victoria, Coll. no. 9084, 3 segments of left antenna and 2 segment of right antenna, and right elytron missing ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, locality unknown, i.1908, Coll. no. J. 5693 ( SAM) .

Other material examined. 33 ♂, 27 ♀. QLD: 1 ♀, Toowoomba , 10.xi.1974, Macqueen ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Vallis , v.1984 ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, W of Shore, Tinaroo , 7.xi.1966, at light, E. Britton ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, 26 km N of Mazeppa, National Park , 24.iii.1993, G. Monteith ( QM) ; 1 ♂, Booloumba Creek , Conondale Ra., 29–30.x.1998, G. B. Monteith ( QM) ; 1 ♂, Nocundra Waterhole, Wilson River , 20.x.1968, J. A. L. Watson ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, Lake Broadwater via Dalby , 26–28.i.1985, G. Monteith & G. Thompson ( QM) ; 1 ♀, Mt. Mistake Plateau via Goomburra , 21–22.xi.1987, G. B. Monteith ( QM) ; 1 ♂, 350 m, Mt. Hayward (20°20'S, 148°45'E), 19–20.xi.1992, Monteith, Thompson & Janetzki ( QM) ; 1 ♀, Brisbane, R. Illidge ( UQIC) . NT: 1 ♂, 39 km E of Alice Springs , 26.xi.1978, Upton & Barret ( ANIC) . NSW: 1 ♂, 65 NW Nyngan , 21.x.1949, E. F. Riek ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, Jenolan Caves , 18.i.1985, George Hangay ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Burrapine (30°42'S, 152°38'E), 10.i.1933 ( AM) . ACT: 1 ♀, Black Mtn, Canberra , ACT, 11.i.1972, K. R. Pullen ( ANIC) ; 2 ♀, same as above but 25.i.1968, M. S. Upton ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, same as above but 16.i.1952 (no abdomen), L. J. Chimick ( ANIC) . VIC: 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Melton , i.1973, bred from Loranthus sp. , F. E. Wilson ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Burnley , 28.i.1975, at light trap, V. P. R. I. ( VAIC) ; 1 ♂, same as above but xii.1975 ( VAIC) ; 1 ♂, same as above but 24.i.1974 ( VAIC) ; 1 ♂, South Morang (37°39'S, 145°05'E) ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Melbourne , French ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Kew (37°48’S, 145°02’E), ex. Loranthus , 11.i.1920 ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Kiata , Victoria, x.1928, F. E. Wilson ( NMV) ; 4 ♀, Red Hill , 10.ii.1970, Dr. Holmes ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Moorooduc (38°14'S, 145°06'E), x.1914, J. E. D. ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Mordialloc , 19.xi.1930, A. L. Brown ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, same data as above but 1.ii.1931 ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Parwan , ex. Loranthus , xi.1911 ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, same locality as above but ex mistletoe on Casuarina sp. , 5.ix.1915 ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Birchip, J. C. Goudie ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Studley Park ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Victoria ( NMV) . SA: 2 ♂, 850 ft. Kurge, Blackwood , 17.xii.1968, at MV light, N. E. Tindale ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, 20 km, S. Wirraminna , 2.xi.1975, at light, J. A. Herridge ( SAM) . WA: 1 ♀, Mcdermid Rock (32°01'S, 120°44'E), 27.xi– x.1978, T. F. Houston et al. ( WAM) . Locality unknown : 2 ♂, 4 ♀, no locality data, ex. Loranthus , i.1905 ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, no locality data, 24.x.1920, bred out mistletoe, D. Millian ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, no locality data, ex Acacia , i.1910 ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, no data ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, no data ( AM) ; 3 ♂, no locality data, ex mistletoe, xii.1908 ( NMV) .