Species Melobasis cupriceps (Kirby, 1818)

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Species Melobasis cupriceps (Kirby, 1818)

Buprestis cupriceps Kirby, W. 1818. XXVIII. A description of several new species of insects collected in New Holland by Robert Brown, Esq. F.R.S. Lib. Linn. Soc. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 12: 454-482 pls XXI-XXIII [457].
Type data:
Holotype whereabouts unknown sex unknown, Australia (as Nouvelle-Hollande).
Buprestis viridinitens Boisduval, J.A. 1835. Voyage de Découvertes de l'Astrolabe exécuté par ordre du Roi, pendant les années 1826–1827–1828–1829, sous le commandement de M.J. Dumont d'Urville. Faune Entomologique de l'Océan Pacifique, avec l'illustration des insectes nouveaux recueillis pendant le voyage. 2me Partie. Coléoptères et autres Ordres. Paris : J. Tastu vii 716 pp. [Date published 27-III-1835] [94].
Type data:
Holotype whereabouts unknown, Australia (as Nouvelle-Hollande).
Buprestis iridescens Laporte de Castelnau, F.L. & Gory, H.L. 1837. Histoire Naturelle et Iconographie des Insectes Coléoptères. Monographie des Buprestides. Histoire naturelle de iconographie des insectes Coléoptères. Monographie des buprestides. Buprestis, Nascio, Acherusia, Asthraeus, Bulis, Acantha, Apatura. Paris : P. Duménil Vol. 1(12–16) 65-160 pp. [121].
Type data:
Holotype OUM sex unknown, Australia (as Nouvelle-Hollande).

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

Saunders, E. 1868. A revision of the Australian Buprestidae described by the Rev. F. W. Hope. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 16: 1-67 [Date published April 1868] [15]
Carter, H.J. 1923. A revision of the Australian species of the genus Melobasis (Fam. Buprestidae, Order Coleoptera), with notes on allied genera. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 1923(1–2): 64–105, pls I,II [81]

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria

Note that conversion of the original AFD map of states, drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones to IBRA and IMCRA regions may have produced errors. The new maps will be reviewed and corrected as updates occur. The maps may not indicate the entire distribution. See further details below.

IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones (map not available)

IBRA

NSW, Qld, Tas, Vic: Australian Alps (AA), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Ben Lomond (BEL), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Channel Country (CHC), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Flinders (FLI), Gulf Plains (GUP), King (KIN), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), Mulga Lands (ML), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Wet Tropics (WT)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Tasmania
- Victoria: Murray-Darling basin, SE coastal

Ecological Descriptors

Adult: diurnal, herbivore (associated flora: Viminaria juncea (Schrad. & J.C.Wendl.) Hoffmanns. [FABACEAE] Golden Spray (on flowers)), volant.

Larva: wood-borer (associated flora: Jacksonia scoparia R.Br. ex Sm. [FABACEAE] Dogwood; Viminaria juncea (Schrad. & J.C.Wendl.) Hoffmanns. [FABACEAE] Golden Spray; Podolobium aciculiferum F.Muell. [FABACEAE] Needle Shaggy Pea; Acacia longifolia (Andrews) Willd. [FABACEAE] Sydney Golden Wattle).

Extra Ecological Information

Hawkeswood & Peterson (1982) recorded this species (after Froggatt 1895) breeding in Acacia longifolia and adults feeding on Viminaria juncea (Fabaceae); Williams & Williams (1983) repeated the adult feeding record; Turner & Hawkeswood (1996) added Oxylobium aciculiferum (Fabaceae) as a larval host.

Associated Flora References

Bellamy, C.L. 2002. Coleoptera: Buprestoidea. In Houston, W.W.K. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 29.5. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing, Australia. pp. XII 491 +4 colour pls [149] (Viminaria juncea)

Bellamy, C.L., Williams, G.A., Hasenpusch, J. & Sundholm, A. 2013. A summary of the published data on host plants and morphology of immature stages of Australian jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), with additional new records. Insecta Mundi 0293: 1-172 [60] (Viminaria juncea)

Carter, H.J. 1923. A revision of the Australian species of the genus Melobasis (Fam. Buprestidae, Order Coleoptera), with notes on allied genera. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 1923(1–2): 64–105, pls I,II [64] (Viminaria juncea)

Froggatt, W.W. 1895. Life histories of Australian Coleoptera. Part III. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 20: 325-336 [332] (Viminaria juncea)

Froggatt, W.W. 1923. Forest Insects of Australia. Sydney : Alfred James Kent, Government Printer viii 171 pp. 2 colour pls. [106] (Viminaria juncea)

Gurney, W.B. 1911. A study of wattle trees (Acacia) and a list of insects of wattle trees. The Australian Zoologist 2: 56-59 [58] (Viminaria juncea)

Hawkeswood, T.J. 1978. Observations on some Buprestidae (Coleoptera) from the Blue Mountains, N.S.W. The Australian Zoologist 19(3): 257-275 [260] (Viminaria juncea)

Hawkeswood, T.J. 2011. Review of the biology and host plants for the Australian species of the genus Melobasis Laporte & Gory, 1837 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Calodema 183: 1-23 [3] (Viminaria juncea)

Turner, J. & Hawkeswood, T.J. 1994. A note on the larval host plant and biology of Melobasis apicalis MacLeay (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from Australia. Giornale Italiano di Entomologia 7: 97-102 [101] (Viminaria juncea)

Turner, J. & Hawkeswood, T.J. 1996. A note on the larval host plants and biology of Melobasis cupriceps (Kirby) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from Australia. Mauritiana (Altenburg) 16: 81-86 [81] (Viminaria juncea)

Turner, J. & Hawkeswood, T.J. 1997. A new larval host plant for Melobasis apicalis MacLeay and M. cupriceps (Kirby) from Australia (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Giornale Italiano di Entomologia 7: 261-264 [261] (Viminaria juncea)

Webb, G.A. 1997. Patterns in the use of Acacia longifolia (Andr.) Willd. (Mimosaceae) by wood-boring insects. Victorian Entomologist 27: 54-62 [61] (Viminaria juncea)

Williams, G.A. & Williams, T. 1983. A list of the Buprestidae (Coleoptera) of the Sydney basin, New South Wales, with adult food plant records and biological notes on food plant associations. Australian Entomological Magazine 9(6): 81-93 [86] (Viminaria juncea)

General References

Burns, G.G. & Burns, A.J. 1992. The distribution of Victorian jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) - an ENTRECS project. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Victoria 5: 1-53 [7] (Map 35)

Carter, H.J. 1929. A check list of the Australian Buprestidae. With tables and keys to sub-families, tribes, and genera (by A. Théry). The Australian Zoologist 5(4): 265-304 [Date published 24 Mar 1929] [284]

Froggatt, W.W. 1895. Life histories of Australian Coleoptera. Part III. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 20: 325-336 (host notes)

Hawkeswood, T.J. & Peterson, M. 1982. A review of larval host records for Australian jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Victorian Naturalist 99: 240-251 [243] (larval food plant)

Laporte de Castelnau, F.L. & Gory, H.L. 1837. Histoire Naturelle et Iconographie des Insectes Coléoptères. Monographie des Buprestides. Histoire naturelle de iconographie des insectes Coléoptères. Monographie des buprestides. Buprestis, Nascio, Acherusia, Asthraeus, Bulis, Acantha, Apatura. Paris : P. Duménil Vol. 1(12–16) 65-160 pp. [119]

Masters, G. 1886. Catalogue of the described Coleoptera of Australia. Part III. Lucanidae and Scarabaeidae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 1: 21-126 [73] (2672)

Masters, G. 1886. Catalogue of the described Coleoptera of Australia. Part III. Lucanidae and Scarabaeidae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 1: 21-126 [73] (presenting alternative taxonomic arrangement iridescens as variety)

Obenberger, J. 1930. Buprestidae 2. pp. 213-568 in Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (eds). Coleopterorum Catalogus. Berlin : W. Junk Vol. 111. [429]

Saunders, E. 1868. A revision of the Australian Buprestidae described by the Rev. F. W. Hope. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 16: 1-67 [Date published April 1868] [15]

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
03-Oct-2024	BUPRESTIDAE Leach, 1815	03-Oct-2024	MODIFIED
16-Jun-2022	BUPRESTIDAE Leach, 1815	10-Sep-2024	MODIFIED
04-Aug-2021	BUPRESTIDAE Leach, 1815	03-Oct-2024	MODIFIED
24-Dec-2020	BUPRESTOIDEA	03-Oct-2024	MODIFIED
01-Jul-2020	POLYPHAGA	03-Oct-2024	MODIFIED	Max Beatson
05-Mar-2019	BUPRESTIDAE Leach, 1815	03-Oct-2024	MODIFIED
05-Mar-2019	Buprestinae Leach, 1815	03-Oct-2024	MODIFIED
05-Mar-2019	Buprestinae Leach, 1815	03-Oct-2024	MODIFIED
28-Jan-2014	BUPRESTIDAE Leach, 1815	03-Oct-2024	MODIFIED	Dr Federica Turco (QM)
10-Oct-2012		10-Oct-2012	MOVED
13-Nov-2012		03-Oct-2024	MODIFIED
		03-Oct-2024	MODIFIED

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