Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Melobasis beltanensis   Blackburn 1892
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Melobasini » subtribe  Melobasina
Melobasis  species group: pretiosa
Melobasis beltanensis   Adult images
Melobasis beltanensis, PL4473, male, SE, 9.7 × 3.7 mm Melobasis beltanensis, MAH 01083, from Cassinia laevis, FR, photo by Mark Hura Melobasis beltanensis, MAH 01083, from Cassinia laevis, FR, photo by Mark Hura
Actual
size¹:
9.6 mm
×
3.7 mm
Measurements (mm)
male
L19.6
9.15 – 9.8
n = 4
L29.4
9.05 – 9.65
n = 4
W3.7
3.6 – 3.8
n = 4
Legend  L1length from clypeus/frons to elytral apex (mean, range, sample size)
L2length from anterior of edge of eyes to elytral apex
Wmaximum width with elytra fully closed
Melobasis beltanensis  Distinctive features

Predominantly green excepting the elytra (coppery-) purplish to magenta; pronotum sometimes grey-blue or blue-green; puncturation very even; body shape relaltively broad.

Notes

The type collection is from near Beltana in the northern Flinders Ranges, and there is recent collection made in 1999 from Arkaroola in the same region. B. Levey (pers. comm., Jul. 2020) tentatively identified PL4473 from the image shown above as a colour variant of this species.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  FRSE
Australian States:  SAVIC
South Australian occurrences
LegendP.J.Lang collection vouchered records
other private collection or museum specimens, or sightings
Satellite map
Terrain map
Enlarge map
Adult activity records for Melobasis beltanensis  (total of 2 beetles)
2
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Legend
live emerged adults, count > median value of 2 per quarter month
live emerged adults, count <= median value of 2
live non-emerged adults only, for that quarter month
12
number of active beetles for that quarter month
Adult host plant
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
21FRA
Legendbeetlescount of beetles collected from, or sighted on, host plant taxon
sitescount of major sites (unique 10 km grid cells +/- some distinct approximate localities)
Plant names in green are hyperlinked to a matching host species page with plant photos.
Plant family
Code beetles % host plant taxa
A Asteraceae 2 100% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on plant (unspecified)21
Lure affinity
colour beetles sites SA regions¹
bright green31SE
blue11SE
¹ LegendregionsSA State Herbarium regions (map)
EA: Eastern, EP: Eyre Peninsula, FR: Flinders Ranges, GT: Gairdner-Torrens, KI: Kangaroo Island, LE: Lake Eyre, MU: Murray, NL: Northern Lofty, NU: Nullarbor, NW: North-Western, SE: South-Eastern, SL: Southern Lofty, YP: Yorke Peninsula
sizeThe ellipse is the correct size when printed, indicative on a desktop screen, and likely to be wrong on a mobile device.