Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Melobasis costifera   Thomson, 1879
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Melobasini » subtribe  Melobasina
Melobasis  species group: nervosa
Melobasis costifera   Adult images
Melobasis costifera, SAMA 25-50559, female, Quorn SA, Blackburn Collection, FR, photo by Peter Lang for SA Museum, 18.0 × 6.0 mm Melobasis costifera, SAMA 25-50559, female, elytral apex showing enlarged apical teeth, FR, photo by Peter Lang for SA Museum, 18.0 × 6.0 mm Melobasis costifera, SAMA 25-50559, female, Quorn SA, Blackburn Collection, FR, photo by Peter Lang for SA Museum, 18.0 × 6.0 mm
Actual
size¹:
17.0 mm
×
5.6 mm
Measurements (mm)
female
L117.0
15 – 19.8
 n = 5
L216.4
14.5 – 19
 n = 5
W5.6
5.05 – 6.35
 n = 5
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 costifera  Distinctive features

Similar to M. nervosa but easily distinguished by the elytral apices having a much enlarged tooth near the suture (as highlighted by Levey 2018); elytra with clearly defined, sharp, well separated, parallel ribs (costae).

Notes

Only known in SA from early collections at three widely separated locations.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  FR,  SL,  SE
Australian States:  WA,  SA,  TAS
Southern South Australian occurrences
LegendP.J.Lang collection vouchered records
other private collection or museum specimens, or sightings
Satellite map
Terrain map
Enlarge map
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.