Uracanthus simulans Pascoe, 1866

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 : 27-28

Uracanthus simulans Pascoe, 1866

(Figs 28, 66, 98)

Uracanthus simulans Pascoe, 1866: 92 .— Best, 1882: 35; Tepper, 1887: 38; French, 1911: 67; Aurivillius, 1912: 147; Lea, 1916: 383; McKeown, 1947: 66; Duffy, 1963: 117.

Description

Male. Body length, 15.89–29.26 mm; width, 3.00– 5.85 mm.

Colour (Fig. 28). Body reddish to blackish brown with head, thorax, femora, and basal elytra darker. Head with dense pale yellowish pubescence. Pronotum with 2 wide longitudinal stripes of very dense pale yellowish pubescence on each side: 1 on disc and 1 near ventral side; remaining part of pronotum with less dense pale yellowish pubescence; median line on pronotal disc more or less glabrous. Each elytron with a subtriangular glabrous mark, extending from shoulder to basal 1/3, without distinct margin; some areas of the mark sometimes covered with sparse short pale yellowish pubescence; remaining part of elytron with short dense yellowish or pale pubescence. The glabrous mark on the elytron may be longer or shorter; body colour may be lighter than the above described.

Head. Postclypeus semicircular, flattened, and coarsely punctate; frontoclypeal suture wide and deep in middle; distance between lower lobes of eyes 1.42–1.53 × as long as distance between upper lobes of eyes; distance between upper lobes of eyes 1.67–1.72 × as long as distance between eyes on ventral side; genal length 0.33–0.41 × as long as head width immediately below eyes. Antennae slightly shorter than body; segments 5–10 flattened and distinctly produced on one side at apex.

Thorax and abdomen. Pronotum 1.26–1.47 × as long as wide, with a small rounded process at each side; posterior margin 1.07–1.36 × as wide as anterior margin; pronotal disc finely punctate with 2 very weakly raised nodules in middle area; disc and side strongly rugose transversely. Scutellum semicircular, with dense pubescence. Elytra 3.54–4.15 × as long as prothorax and 3.40–3.77 × as long as shoulder width; basal elytra coarsely punctate; apex slightly emarginate or truncate, with a small spine at suture and small process or rounded at margin. Elytral apex may be almost rounded at margin in some specimens. Apex of terminal sternite truncate or slightly emarginate.

Male terminalia. Apex of ventral lobe emarginate and apex of dorsal lobe rounded or slightly pointed; ventral lobe about as long as dorsal lobe; spined region of internal sac 2 × as long as basal unspined region; spined region divided into two sections with an unspined gap between sections: first section with dense clustered long simple spines on sides with an unspined area in middle; second section with sparse short simple spines ( Fig. 66a). Eighth sternite obliquely truncate or slightly at side, shallowly and widely emarginate at apex, with long and fairly long setae arising terminally; ventral surface with simple spines ( Fig. 66b). Eighth tergite rounded or slightly emarginate at apex with long and short setae; dorsal surface with fairly dense simple spines and multi-branched spines ( Fig. 66c). Paramere 1.78–1.8 × as long as wide, cylindrical in shape; apex rounded with long and short setae ( Fig. 66d)

Female. Body length, 18.87–31.48 mm; width, 3.64–6.99 mm.

Similar to male but differs in having broader body and shorter antennae; elytra slightly longer and wider, 3.19–3.66 × as long as shoulder width and 3.08–4.53 × as long as prothorax.

Ovipositor and spermatheca. Ovipositor short; styli arising terminally with short hairs ( Fig. 66e). Spermatheca slightly curved; spermathecal gland arising near base ( Fig. 66f).

Distribution

Northern and southern Northern Territory, southern Queensland, western & northern New South Wales, northwestern Victoria, southern and southwestern South Australia, and western and southern Western Australia ( Fig. 98).

Biology

Hosts are Banksia australis ( Best, 1882) , Helichrysum ferrugineum and Acacia sp. ( French, 1911) and Acacia longifolia ( Pierce, 1917) and Acacia sowdenii . Adults emerge during December and April ( French, 1911). Adults were collected from October to March, and attracted to light.

Comments

This species resembles U. triangularis Hope but differs in having the subtriangular mark on the elytra smaller and narrower, elytra without glabrous areas on apical areas, and the elytral apex usually with only 1 spine at the suture.

Material examined

Holotype. ♀. SA: no data; type Pascoe Coll. 93-60; bearing a circular type label, and with Pascoe’s handwriting of the species name ( BMNH).

Other material examined. 47 ♂, 20 ♀. QLD: 1 ♂, Eulo (28°09'S, 145°02'E), 24.ix.1991, at light, G. Daniels ( UQIC) . NT: 1 ♂, Plenty River , Salt Lake, Simpson Desert (24°09'S, 136°41'E), 14.ix.1992, L. Archhold ( NTM) ; 1 ♂, Daly Waters (13°18'S, 130°15'E), 18–21.i.1972, T. Weir & A. Allwood ( NTM) . 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Nr Reedy Rockhole , Amadeus Basin (24°20'S, 131°35'E), 16.ix.1962, P. Ranford ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, same data as above but 1.x.1962 ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 9 km of Kulgera (25°46'S, 133°18'E), 1.x.1972, J. Upton ( ANIC) . NSW: 1 ♂, Narwarre sta., 33 miles SE of Louth, 1949, E. E. Mitchell ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Broken Hill , 22.x.1944, C. E. Chadwick ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, near Visitors Center , Mootwingee Historic Site (30°58'S, 142°04'E), 7.xi.1984, at mercur vapour lamp, G. R. Brewn & H. M. Holmes ( ASCU) ; 1 ♀, NSW ( NMV) . VIC: 1 ♀, Mildura ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Yanac , 5.xi.1978, J. C. Le Sovef ( ANIC) . SA: 1 ♂, Wharminda Wells , E Side Hinks Conservation Park, Eyre Peninsular, 5.xii.1986, at light, J. A Forrest ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, 8 km N of SW Carrllin HS, Sand End of Formby Bay , York Peninsular, 4.x.1965, N. McFarland ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, Clere ( UQIC) ; 1 ♀, no data, SA ( MAM) ; 1 ♂, SA, Coll. no. K36089 ( AM) ; 1 ♂, Parachilna (31°07'S, 138°23'E), Flinders Range, Nat. Hist. Exp. ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, Ouldea , SA, R. T. Muaurice ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, Hiltaba (32°07'S, 135°03'E), Gawler Ranges, ix.1972, Field Nat. Soc ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, 132 km N. of Cook (30°36'S, 130°24'E), 18.iix.1980, at light, J. A. Forret ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, Winbring, det by Lea ( WADA) ; 3 ♂, 10km N by NE Mt. Woodroofe (26°14'55″S, 131°47'36″E), Musgrave Ra, NGO1, 13.x.1994, at light, Pitjantjatjaral Lands survey ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, 24 km N Mt Serle inbed of Frome Creek , 9.xi.1976, at light, M. Minchino ( SAM) ; 1 ♂, N of Roxby Downs , Woodland, SA, 25.x.1976, at light in camp, Acacia sowdenii, L. D. Williams (SAM) ; 1 ♂, 17 miles S of Mt Finke , 29.x.1974, P. Aiken ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, SA, Port. Lincoln , Seaford Bay area, iv –v.1964, J. G. Casavara ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, SA, Blackburn Collection , Coll. no. 5479 ( SAM) .1?, SA, no abdomen (ANIC). WA: 1 ♀, South Perth , 7.iii.1904, H. M. Giks, dept by Lea ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Kalgoorlie, det by K. C. McKeown ( ASCU) ; 1 ♂, Binnu (28°02'S, 114°40'E), 8.iii.1965, H. de Graaf ( WAM) ; 3 ♂, same data as above but 26.iii.1965 ( WAM) ; 2 ♂, Laverton (28°14'S, 122°33'E), 25.iii.1924, det by McKeown ( WAM) ; 2 ♂, 1 ♀, Mullewa (28°32'S, 115°30'E), WA, Miss F. May ( SAM) ; 2 ♂, same data but det by Lea, F. E. Wilson Collection ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, same locality but 23.iii.1939, det by McKeown ( WAM) ; 1 ♂, Kalgoorlie (30°45'S, 121°27'E), 20.iv.1922, J. H. Welez and J. Carter Coll. det by Lea ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, same locality as above but 10.iii.1911, W. du Boulay, det by Lea ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, same locality as above but det by Lea ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Thevenard Island , 8.x.1966, G. Bostock ( WAM) ; 1 ♂, Beverley , WA, F. H. du Boulay ( SAM) ; 3 ♂, Norseman , WA, 23.iii.1971, M. S. Upton ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Ravensthorpe , 25.ii.1971, K. T. Richards ( WADA) ; 2 ♂, 15 km N by NE of Ajana , Murchison (27°49'S, 114°41'E), 27.iii.1971, M. S. Upton ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, 42 km S of Moorine Rock , WA, 13.i.1980, K. & S. Carnaby ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Coolgardie , i.1948, W. du Boulay ( WAM) ; 1 ♂, Geraldton ( SAM) . Locality unknown : 1 ♀, Australia Old Collection det by Lea, F. E. Wiston Collection ( NMV) ; 1 ♀, Australia Old Collection det by Lea ( QM) ; 1 ♀, JR. (?), Hope / Westwood Coll. Cab 2, d.27 ( HMO) ; 1 ♀, Australia Old Coll. from SAM ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Coll. no. K39083 ( AM) .