Distinguished by the broad anterior fascia which is well separated from the anterior margin of the elytra; allied to M. sexplagiata but larger in size, broader in shape, with less intense red colouration and more greenish reflections.

A syntype specimen of Melobasis pretiosa Blackburn 1877 in the SA Museum is clearly the same species as M. fasciata Carter, 1923, and was flagged as a Lectotype by Levey in 1974. As the earlier name has priority, it is likely that this species will be recognised as M. pretiosa in the future.

Tepper 1887 (p. 16) may be referring to this species when he writes: 'The larva of this, and some similarly tinted species, live in the old and very thick dead corky bark of redgum (Euc. rostrata) [= Eucalyptus camaldulensis], from which the writer has often extracted the beetles in early spring. The latter seldom frequent flowers, but are mostly found on the sunny side of the trunks or leaves of Eucalypts, and are active and wary in the hot sunshine, though sluggish on cloudy days.'

An allied species from WA (in the same species group) is well known for breeding in the corky basal bark of Eucalyptus rudis (Flooded Gum), a eucalypt that is closely related taxonomically and ecologically to the Red Gum. A single specimen of M. fasciata was observed alighting on the trunk of a Red gum (E. camaldulensis) in Adelaide by R.V. Glatz (pers. comm.). This, taken together with the fact that Red Gums are prominent at a number of the SA collection locations, suggests that M. fasciata may breed in the thick basal bark of that eucalypt.