Tessaromma undatum Newman, 1840

Jin, Mengjie, Ślipiński, Adam, Keyzer, Roger De & Pang, Hong, 2017, Review of Australian genera Tessaromma Newman and Phlyctaenodes Newman with description of a new genus and species (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Phlyctaenodini), Zootaxa 4277 (1), pp. 67-85 : 78-79

Tessaromma undatum Newman

( Figures 3 E, 3F, 4V –Y)

Tessaromma undatum Newman, 1840: 20 . TL: Nova Hollandia, Adelaide ( OMNH, examined). Meropachys macleaii Hope, 1841: 52 . TL: New Holland ( OMNH, examined).

Description. Length 11–20 mm. Body integument light brown to dark brown, with short median section and apices of elytra usually slightly lighter than elytral bases; ventral side of thorax brown, abdomen with apical parts of each ventrite distinctly lighter than the bases. Vestiture double, composed of sparse brown bristles and short, strongly adpressed setae, silvery on head and pronotum, golden and much denser on elytra forming very distinctive marbled or irregular wavy pattern in median part of elytra. Head. Frontoclypeal suture not well visible, located in concave area and covered by dense setae. Eye lower section approximately twice as large as the upper section. Antennae densely setose ventrally; in male extending 1–2 antennomeres beyond elytral apices, in female reaching to the elytral apices; antennomere 4 as long as or slightly longer than antennomere 3, but obviously shorter than 5. Prothorax 1.0–1.1 times as long as wide with sharp, straight or weakly posteriorly bent, lateral projections near middle. Dorsum with two pointed admedian prominent tubercles distinctly separated at middle. Surfaces feebly shiny, punctate and densely setose. Scutellum weakly narrowing posteriorly, apically truncate and impressed at middle; surface with dense silvery setae, mostly arranged transversely along posterior margin. Elytra obliquely truncate apically with apical margin arcuate. Each elytron with three dorsal and two lateral rows of partially indistinct protuberances, each bearing puncture and bristle apically; irregular and denser bristles present laterally and at apical, lighter part of elytra. Male genitalia. Endophallus with a bunch of sclerotized spikes, similar to T. triste .

Types. “ Tessaromma undatum Newman | Nova Hollandia , Adelaide ” (1, OMNH) ; “ Meropachys macleaii Hope | New Holland ” (1, OMNH) .

Material examined (259, ANIC; 10, AM; 13, QM; 14, NMV; 49, SAM; 20, RDKC): Queensland: Stanthorpe ; Dalby; Brisbane ; Millstream Falls , W of Ravenshoe. New South Wales: Kioloa SF, 15km NE Batemans Bay ; Mount Keira , Clive Bissell Drive; Lower Dave Walsh Tk. , near Mount Keira Rd.; Otford; South Black Range, 8km E of Hoskinstown; Tubrabucca; Boyd R. camping area, Kanangra-Boyd NP ; East Boyd SF., 54km SE Bombala, Anteaters Rd. ; Bawley Point; Coogee; Glen Innes; Gibraltar Range; Delegate; New England NP.; Thungutti Camp, New England NP.; Mongarlowe; Barrington River ; Moppy Lookout, Barrington Tops; Polblue Swamp, Barrington Tops SF; Orange; Dorrigo NP.; Paddy’s River; Murrumbateman; 10km south of Ebor; Corowa; Whiskers; The Rock; Westmead ; Toowoon Bay ; Upper Tumut River ; Cooma; Gosford; Depot Beach, 10 miles NE of Bateman’s Bay; N.E. University Armidale; Goulburn; Mt. Royal; the Crackenback, Kosciuszko NP.; Kiwarrak SF S of Taree; Hallidays Pt.; Jamberoo Pass, W of Kiama. Australian Capital Territory: Long gully Lane, Narrabundah; Black Mountain; Brindabella Range; Gibraltar Falls ; Mt. Painter ; Lyneham; Ginninderra; Turner; Blundells Ck., 3km E of Piccadilly Circus; Monash. Victoria: Shepparton, Goulburn Valley Water Farm ; Mt. Donna Buang ; Warburton; Grampians; Noble Park; Mornington; Dividing Range; Healesville; Tyers River area; Rokeby; Labertouche; Traralgon; Maryvale; Colquhoun SF.; Newborough; Mitcham; Moe; Warragul; Victorian Alps. South Australia: Nuriootpa; Blackwood; Window Urrbrae ; Kangaroo Island ; Mt. Lofty Ranges. ; Adelaide; Reed Beds; Chowilla Dam site. Tasmania: Hobart; St. John Fisher College, Hobart; Sandy Bay, Hobart; Newstead, Launceston; Kingstown.

Distribution (Fig. 6C). Common species, distributed along the eastern coast from Southern Queensland to Tasmania and South Australia.

Biological data. Tessaromma undatum is found in a variety of wet forest habitats and specimens have been collected by MV light trap all year round. Adults have also been collected from beating dead leaves of Acacia binervata . T. undatum larvae have been recorded in Australia from various Eucalyptus and Acacia spp. and Nothofagus moorei ( Best 1882; Duffy 1963; Moore 1972; Williams 1985; Hawkeswood 1993 and Matthews 1997).

Figures

FIGURE 3. A – D: Tessaromma nanum Blackburn. E – F: Tessaromma undatum Newman. G – H: Tessaromma triste (Hope). I – J: Tessaromma argenteonigra Gressitt (Holotype, BPBM).