Uracanthus acutus Blackburn, 1889

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 : 41-42

Uracanthus acutus Blackburn, 1889

(Figs 38, 76, 103)

Uracanthus acutus Blackburn, 1889: 451 .— Froggatt, 1898: 46; Allen, Blunno, Froggatt and Guthrie, 1898a: 1038; Dixon, 1908:77; Aurivillius, 1912: 147; McKeown, 1947: 62; Duffy, 1963:117.

Description

Male. Body length, 11.81–20.45 mm; width, 2.13–3.10 mm.

Colour (Fig. 38). Body reddish brown with head, thorax, antennae segments, scutellum, and basal 1/5 to 1/3 of elytra often darker. Head with dense golden pubescence. Pronotal disc with a broad longitudinal stripe of very dense golden pubescence on each side and two longitudinal stripes of relatively sparse pubescence in middle; side with a narrow longitudinal stripe of very dense golden pubescence near ventral side. Elytron with dense short golden pubescence, particularly on apical ½. The longitudinal stripes on middle pronotal disc may vary from very distinct to vague.

Head. Postclypeus semicircular, slightly convex, with fairly dense coarse punctures; frontoclypeal suture deep and narrow in middle; distance between lower lobes of eyes 2.0 –2.33 × as long as distance between upper lobes of eyes; distance between upper lobes of eyes 0.80–0.84 × as long as distance between eyes on ventral side; genal length 0.26–0.31 × as long as head width immediately below eyes; Antennae shorter than body; segments 5–10 subcylindrical and slightly produced on one side at apex.

Thorax and abdomen. Pronotum 1.42–1.57 × as long as width, rounded at side; posterior margin 1.24– 1.53 × as wide as anterior margin; pronotal disc finely punctate with two very feebly raised nodules in middle area; posterior ¼ of disc weakly, transversely rugose. Scutellum semicircular, glabrous. Elytra 3.70–3.87 × as long as prothorax and 3.81–4.15 × as long as shoulder width; each elytron with 3 longitudinal carinae; basal 1/ 3 of elytra with dense coarse punctures and 2/3 of elytra with fine punctures; apex sharply pointed. Apex of terminal sternite truncate or truncate with a small notch.

Male terminalia. Apex of ventral median lobe slightly pointed and apex of dorsal lobe rounded; ventral lobe slightly longer than dorsal lobe; internal sac with dense simple and long spines except short unspined basal and terminal areas ( Fig. 76a). Eighth sternite obliquely truncate at side, widely emarginate at apex, with long setae arising terminally; ventral surface with fairly dense cloud-like processes ( Fig. 76b). Eighth tergite rounded at sides with a small notch at apex; surface with fairly dense, simple and short spines in middle area ( Fig. 76c). Paramere long and thin, 2.5–2.6 × as long as wide, cylindrical in shape, apex rounded with long and short setae ( Fig. 76d).

Female. Body length, 18.60–23.87 mm; width, 3.8–4.49 mm.

Abdomen more robust, antennae and legs shorter; distance between lower lobes of eyes less than 2 × as long as distance between upper lobes of eyes; elytra 4.33–4.95 × as long as prothorax and 3.80–4.06 x as long as shoulder width.

Ovipositor and spermatheca. Ovipositor very short; styli arising terminally with short hairs ( Fig. 76e). Spermatheca slightly curved; spermathecal gland arising near base ( Fig. 76f).

Distribution

Western, southern and eastern Victoria, eastern New South Wales, southern and southeastern South Australia, and northeastern and southeastern Queensland ( Fig. 103).

Biology

Hosts are peach, plum and apricot, Amygdalus persica , Armeniaca vulgaris , Acacia dealbata and A. mollissima , Pomaderris spp. and Loranthus sp. Adults are found on Eucalyptus foliage. Larvae at first bore towards and then into the heartwood, but later tunnel right round beneath the bark, causing the latter to wilt and die, and finally break off. Adults were collected from December to February. Adults are attracted to light.

Comments

This species resembles U. loranthi but differs in having the body more slender, the pronotal disc with transverse rugae only in the area near the posterior margin, and the apex of the elytra sharply pointed.

Material examined

Paratypes. 1 ♂, 1 ♀. VIC: 1 ♀, Victoria, Coll. no. I. 5488 ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, locality unknown, abdomen and left antennae missing, Coll. no. 2909 ( SAM). The holotype is supposed to be in BMNH according to McKeown (1947) but could not be located .

Other material examined. 84 ♂, 19 ♀. QLD: 1 ♂, Gap Creek , 6 mile N of Bloomfield R., N of QLD, 13– 14.xi.1965, G. Monteith ( QM) ; 1 ♂, Bunya Mt (26°50’S, 151°33’E), 5 km NW of Mt Mowbullan, 3350 ft. 8.i.1970, at light, Britton, Holloway & Misko ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, Brisbane , 3.ii.1962, B. F. Stone ( UQIC) ; 1 ♂, QLD ( NMV) . NSW: 2 ♂, Pt. Lookout via Ebor, Nothofagus Forest , 22.i.1967, B. Cantrell ( UQIC) ; 1 ♀, Jenolan Caves , 18.i.1985, George Hangay ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Wiangaree state Forest, via Kyogle , 28.xi.1970, G. Monteith ( UQIC) ; 2 ♂, West Pymble, near Sydney , 5.xi.1985, at black light, D. J. Scambler, ( AM) ; 1 ♂, same as above but 10.xi.1987 ( AM) ; 1 ♂, Willougby, Sydney , 10.xi.1986, D. K. McAlpine ( AM) ; 2 ♂, Ashfield , 26.x.1980, D.A. Doolan ( AM) ; 1 ♂, National Park , i.1965, MV light, D. K. McAlpine ( AM) ; 1 ♂, Rydalmere , 16.xi.1976, at light trap, G. R. Brown ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, same locality as above but 27.x.1971, at mercury vapour light ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, Prospect , 11.xii.1911 ( AM) ; 1 ♂, Arrawarra, H. J. Carter ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Beecroft (33°44’S, 151°03’E), 12.xii.1967, at mercury vapour light, O. M. Williams ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, Clovelly , 2.xi.1956, on Eucalyptus foliage, W. E. Wright ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, same locality as above but 15.xi.1953 ( ASCU) ; 6 ♂, Kiama , xi.1958, L. Cady, ( ASCU) ; 2 ♂, same locality as above but xi.1959 ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, same data as above as above but xi.1960 ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, same locality as above but 5.xi.1921, Allowire ( MAM) ; 2 ♂, Minnamurra Falls , xii.1968, C. E. Chadwick ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, Mt. Keira , 23.ii.1966, at mercury vapour light, V. J. Robinson ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, Sydney , xi.1937, A. Musgrave ( AM) ; 1 ♂, Sydney ( MAM) ; 1 ♂, same locality as above but ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, same locality as above but 10.xi.1968, C. E. Chadwick ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, no data, NSW ( MAM) ; 2 ♂, same as above but ( NMV) . ACT: 2 ♀, Black Mt., Canberra , ACT, 25.i.1968, M. S. Upton ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, same as above but 11.i.1972, K. R. Pullen ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, same as above but 16.i.1952, no abdomen, L. J. Chimick ( ANIC) . VIC: 4 ♀, Red Hill , 10.ii.1970, Dr. Holmes ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Kiata , x.1938, F. E. Wilson ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Melton , xii.1937, bred ex Loranthus, F. E. Wilson (ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Hayfield (36°56'S, 145°45'E), 16.xi.1921, ex Acacia (NMV) ; 1 ♀, Melbourne , French ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, Mordialloc , 1.i.1931, A. L. Brown ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Cheltenham, C. Oke ( NMV) ; 2 ♂, Hazelwood , 29.xii.1948, A. L. Brown ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Saint Kilda, C. Oke ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Yinnar , xii.1948, A. L. Brown ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, 3km SE Taggerty, Little River , 6.i.1972, Neboiss ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Mitta Mitta River, Neboiss & Malcolm ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Mitcham , xi.1950, A. L. Brown ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Thompson Reserve , 12.xii.1973, La Trobe R. Survey ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Rainbow Creek , 4 km NNW of Cowarr, 4.xii.1976, A. A. Calder ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, N. Mallee, Dixon ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Moe , 5.i.1949, C. G. L. Gooding ( NMV) ; 2 ♂, Studley Park , 12.vii.1916, bred from Pomaderris, Dixon (NMV) ; 1 ♂, Sea Lake , xi.1912, G. C. Goodie ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Gippsland Lake Park , ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Richmond , 26.xii.1904 ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Victoria ( MAM) ; 4 ♂, 4 ♀, same as above but ( NMV) ; 4 ♂, Victoria, ex Acacia , xi.1919 ( NMV) ; 2 ♂, same data as above but xi.1905 ( NMV) ; 3 ♂, same data as above but xi.1912 ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, same data as above but xi.1916 ( NMV) ; 2 ♂, Vic , 6.xi.1909, ex Pomaderris, (NMV) ; 1 ♂, same locality as above but x.1907, ex Acacia mollissima (NMV) . SA : 1 ♂, Kurlge Blackwood , 850 ft. MV light, 5.xi.1960, N. B. Tindale ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, 20 km S of Wirraminna HS, at light, 2.xi.1975, J. A. Herridge ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, Burrawing , 10.i.1933 ( AM) . Locality unknown : 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Jemey Moryma , 19.x.1896 ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, 11.xi.1975, light trap, V. P. R. I. ( VAIC) ; 1 ♂, no data, no abdomen ( WINC) . 1 ♂, Australia, H. E. Cox Collection 1916 ( HMO) ; 1 ♂, no data ( UQIC) .