Uracanthus bicoloratus, Thongphak & Wang, 2007

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 : 10-12

Uracanthus bicoloratus , sp. nov.

(Figs 19, 58, 94)

Description

Male. Body length: 23.26–33.12 mm; width: 4.55–6.97 mm.

Colour (Fig. 19). Head, thorax, basal elytra, and legs dark reddish brown; antennae and remaining part of elytra reddish brown. Frons and clypeus with dense golden pubescence; vertex with dense white pubescence except a V-shaped glabrous area extending from medial frontal groove to posterior edge of vertex; legs and abdomen with fairly dense white pubescence. Pronotum with 2 distinct longitudinal stripes of dense white pubescence on each side: 1 on disc and 1 near ventral side; the remaining part of disc with fairly dense golden pubescence. Elytra with dense golden and white pubescence; each elytron with a large sub-basal triangular glabrous mark extending from shoulder to basal 1/3, margined with a very vague line of white pubescence; apical area with sparse pubescence, margined with dense white pubescence. Body colour varies from reddish brown to blackish brown, the sub-basal glabrous mark may be variable in size, either reduced or expanded.

Head. Postclypeus semicircular to subtriangular in shape and slightly convex, with dense coarse punctures; frontoclypeal suture deep and narrow in middle; median frontal groove wide and deep; distance between lower lobes of eyes 1.67–2.0 × as long as distance between upper lobes of eyes; distance between upper lobes of eyes 1.2–1.4 × as long as distance between eyes on ventral side; genal length 0.36–0.43 × as long as head width immediately below eyes. Antennae shorter than body; 5–10 flattened and produced on one side at apex.

Thorax and abdomen. Pronotum about 1.11–1.32 × as long as wide, rounded with a very feeble process at each side; posterior margin about 1.16–1.33 × as wide as anterior margin; pronotal disc feebly binodulose in middle and strongly rugose transversely. Scutellum semicircular, with dense pubescence. Elytra 4.45–5.07 × as long as prothorax and 3.44–3.82 × as long as shoulder width; each elytron with three feeble longitudinal carinae; basal elytra finely punctate; apex widely emarginate and bispinose. Abdomen slender; apex of terminal sternite truncate.

Male terminalia. Apex of ventral lobe narrowly emarginate and apex of dorsal lobe pointed; dorsal lobe shorter than ventral lobe; spined region of internal sac 3.45–4.04 × as long as basal unspined region; spined region divided into 2 sections with unspined gap between sections: first section bearing dense long simple spines, with fairly dense multi-branched spines near sides; second section with sparse simple spines ( Fig. 58a). Eighth sternite strongly obliquely truncate at side, shallowly emarginate at apex, with long and fairly long setae arising terminally; ventral side with very sparse multi-branched spines and fairly dense cloud-like processes ( Fig. 58b). Eighth tergite rounded at apex, with fairly dense short simple spines and multi-branched spines on dorsal surface ( Fig. 58c). Paramere short, 1.46–1.53 x as long as wide, cylindrical in shape; apex rounded with long and short setae ( Fig. 58d).

Female. Body length, 17.17–34.18 mm; width, 3.24–7.19 mm

Similar to male but differs in having shorter antennae and legs, and more robust abdomen; apex of terminal sternite rounded; elytra 3.50–3.97 × as long as shoulder width and 4.42–5.17 × as long as prothorax.

Ovipositor and spermatheca. Ovipositor short; styli arising terminally with short hairs ( Fig. 58e). Spermatheca clearly curved; spermathecal gland long and arising near base of spermatheca ( Fig. 58f).

Distribution Southeastern Australia ( Fig. 94).

Biology

Banksia , Correa , Olearia and Helichrysum were recorded as host plants of this species. Adults were collected from October to April, May to July and attracted to MV light traps.

Comments

Lea (1916) considered this new species as a variant (Var A) of U. triangularis . Having examined all available specimens, we found that the ‘var A’ is different from U. triangularis at species level. It resembles U. triangularis but differs in having the sub-basal glabrous marks on elytra without a distinct marginal line of white pubescence; apical areas of elytra covered with sparse pubescence, and dorsal lobe of aedeagus shorter than ventral lobe.

Material examined

Holotype. ♂, SA: Wooley Lake , near Beachport, ii.1965, at MV light; terminalia tube pinned with the specimen; bearing a red holotype label ( SAM).

Paratypes. 29 ♂, 40 ♀. All paratypes bear blue paratype labels. QLD: 1 ♀, Stanthorpe , xii.1964, E. Sutton, E. Sutton Collection ( AM) ; 1 ♀, Lamington National Park , 17-12.ii.1964, G. Monteith and H. A. Rose ( UQIC) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Kilcoy District , 18.ii.1954, S. Gum ( QM) ; 1 ♀, 520 m, Wonga Hills site, 11.xii.2001, MV light, vine scrub, Monteith, Cook & Wright, Coll. no. 10257 ( QM) ; 1 ♂, Beerwah , 20.ix.1935, H. E. Young ( QDPI) ; 1 ♂, Brisbane , (no abdomen) ( QM) ; 1 ♂, same locality as above but IIIidge ( UQIC) ; 1 ♀, Biarraville , QLD, 20.i.1956, J. C. Le Sovef ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, Carnarvon Range , 10.i.1939, N. Geary ( AM) . NSW: 1 ♂, Corong ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, Kosciusko , i.–ii.1940, F. H. Taylor ( AM) ; 1 ♂, Ballina , 1.ii.1894, Froggatt ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, Mellabulla, F. H. Taylor ( AM) ; 1 ♀, National Park , 16.x.1921, A. Musgrave, Coll. no. K44380 ( AM) ; 1 ♀, Botany , no abdomen ( QM) ; 1 ♀, W of Kyogle, Toonumbar Dam , 11–12.xii.1996, MV lamp, D. J. Scambler & J. A. Macdonald ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, 1420 m, Dawsons Spring, Mt Kaputar National Park , 9.xii.1987, at Mercury Vapour lamp, G. R. Brown ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, 1180m, Bark Hut Camping area, Mt. Kaputar National Park , 10.xii.1987, at mercury vapour lamp, G. R. Brown and S & B. Underwood ( ASCU) ; 1 ♀, Mittagong , 24.iii.1968, R. H. Mulder Coll. ( AM) ; 1 ♂, Mt Dromedary , 23.xi.1965, Britton & Upton ( ANIC) ; 2 ♂, 3 ♀, Mt. Kaputar , 3000 ft., 30.x.1976, at light, C. W. Frazier ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, Faulconbridge Ridge , 12.xii.1980, S. G. Watkins Collection ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, N. Wendilla , vi.1908, out of Correa, Dixon (NMV) . VIC : 1 ♂, Grampians , 6.ii.1956, Delly's Dell ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, Grampians , 27.xii.1979, ex light trap, G. S. Taylor ( WINC) ; 1 ♂, Vic Coast, Out of Banksia (WINC) ; 1♂, 3 ♀, Mordiallac , F. E. Wilson Coll ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀, same locality as above but, 15.x.1950, A. L. B. ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, same data as above but 12.x.1950 ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Ferntree Gully , 8.xii.1927, A. H. Westly ( UQIC) ; 1 ♀, same locality as above but C. Oke ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Moe , 27.x.1945, C. G. L. Gooding ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, 13 miles S of Kiata, Little Desert , 7.xi.1966, I. F. B. Common & M. S. Upton ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Springvale, Vic , 1945, E. J. Harris ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 27 miles N of Yannac, Big Desert, Vic , 27.x.1973, H. Morton, C. F. Crasby ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Kiata, Vic , 1.xi.1945, M. W. Mules ( NMV) ; 2 ♀, Noble Park , Vic, C. Oke ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Cheltenham, C. Oke ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Deep Creek, Braybrook District , J. E. Dixon ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Braybrook , 28.iix.1904, in Correa eranh, J. E. Dixon (NMV) ; 1 ♂, Kororoit Creek ( NMV) ; 2 ♂, Victoria ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Aspendale District , out of Olearia (Aster) ramculoba (NMV) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Melbourne , v.1901, J. J. Walker ( HMO) ; 1 ♀, Mulwala , D. ii.90 ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, VIC ( UQIC) . SA: 1 ♂, Lake Surprise Area, Simson Desert , 13.ix.1971, T. F. Houston ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Black Swamp , 8.vii.1963, on flower of grape tree palm, S. W. White ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Grampian, Mt. Difficult Range , 2600 f, 7.ii.1956, N. B. Tindale ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, 22 miles W by SW of Mundulla , 8.xi,1966, I. F. B. Common & M. S. Upton ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, SA, F. W. Ferguson Collection ( ANIC) . WA: 1 ♀, Nedlands , 4.x.1955, M. M. H. Wallace ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, 63 miles E of Esperance (33º51'S, 121º53'E), Thomas River , 20.xi.1969, Taylor & M. S. Upton ( ANIC) .

Other material examined. 6 ♂, 18 ♀. Locality unknown: 1 ♀, Blackburn ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, Coll. no. C446 ( QDPI) ; 2 ♀, no data ( NMV) ; 2 ♂, no data ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, Milis Geppart , 26.xii.1926, J. Masqueem ( AM) ; 1♀, 6.xii.1966, D. A. Dooland Collection, NRPC ( AM) ; 6 ♀, no data ( NMV) ; 3 ♂, 4 ♀, no locality data, 27.viii.1905, ex. Correa speciosa (NMV) ;1?, no abdomen, Correa ahecesa (NMV) ; 2 ♀, N Mall, 20.x.1910, Bred by Dixon ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, bred from Helichrysum, Eltham District ( NMV) .