Actual
size¹:
size¹:
6.8 mm
×
2.3 mm
×
2.3 mm
| male | female | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | 6.7 | 5.2 – 7.85 | n = 20 | 7.4 | 6.85 – 8.7 | n = 7 |
| L2 | 6.5 | 5 – 7.7 | n = 15 | 7.2 | 6.65 – 8.5 | n = 7 |
| W | 2.3 | 1.95 – 2.7 | n = 20 | 2.5 | 2.25 – 3 | n = 7 |
| Legend | L1 | length from clypeus/frons to elytral apex (mean, range, sample size) |
| L2 | length from anterior of edge of eyes to elytral apex | |
| W | maximum width with elytra fully closed |
See also the closely related Melobasis speciosa, treated here as a separate taxon (but placed as a synonym of M. gratiosissma by Carter 1909).
The separation of M. speciosa and M. gratiosissma needs further investigation as both are highly variable in size and colouration patterns. This is illustrated by the fact that Obenberger 1942 described three new varieties of M. gratiosissima, all from the same location which is interpreted as Gawler, SA (although given as 'New South Wales: Gowlerstown (Odewahn)').
| Legend | P.J.Lang collection vouchered records | |
| other private collection or museum specimens, or sightings |
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| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
| Legend | live emerged adults, count > median value of 5 per quarter month | |
| live emerged adults, count <= median value of 5 | ||
| live non-emerged adults only, for that quarter month | ||
12 | number of active beetles for that quarter month |
| beetles | sites | SA regions¹ | family | position on host plant | ||||
| Senna artemisioides ssp. petiolaris | 14 | 7 | GT, FR, EP, MU | F | ||||
| Acacia sp. | 13 | 6 | NW, FR, EP, MU | F | ||||
| Senna artemisioides ssp. quadrifolia | 9 | 3 | LE, EP, MU | F | ||||
| Acacia calamifolia | 8 | 5 | FR | F | ||||
| Acacia ligulata | 7 | 5 | NW, LE, FR | F | ||||
| Acacia burkittii | 5 | 2 | EP, MU | F | ||||
| Acacia victoriae ssp. victoriae | 5 | 3 | FR, NL | F | ||||
| Senna sp. | 4 | 4 | EP, MU | F | ||||
| Senna artemisioides ssp. x coriacea | 3 | 3 | FR, EP | F | ||||
| Acacia rivalis | 2 | 1 | FR | F | ||||
| Acacia quornensis | 2 | 1 | EP | F | ||||
| Acacia euthycarpa | 1 | 1 | EP | F | ||||
| Acacia oswaldii | 1 | 1 | FR | F | ||||
| Allocasuarina helmsii | 1 | 1 | EP | C |
| Legend | beetles | count of beetles collected from, or sighted on, host plant taxon |
| sites | count 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. | ||
| Code | beetles | % | host plant taxa | |
| F | Fabaceae | 71 | 99% | 10 |
| C | Casuarinaceae | 1 | 1% | 1 |
| position | beetles | sites | ||
| on flower(s) | 1 | 1 | ||
| on flowering plant | 10 | 4 | ||
| on foliage or non-flowering plant | 46 | 24 | ||
| on plant (unspecified) | 15 | 8 | ||
| other | ||||
| in spider web | 2 | 1 | ||
| on stems | 1 | 1 | ||
| colour | beetles | sites | SA regions¹ | |
| bright green | 1 | 1 | EP |
| records | sites | SA regions¹ | family | adult live | adult dead | |
| Acacia victoriae ssp. victoriae | 1 | 1 | NL | F | 1 | |
| Senna artemisioides ssp. quadrifolia | 1 | 1 | LE | F | 1 |
| Legend | records | count of breeding adults, pupae and larvae |
| sites | count of major sites (unique 10 km grid cells +/- some distinct approximate localities) | |
| adult | live = extracted alive; dead = extracted dead as intact or fragmentary remains; ex billet = reared and emerged from stored sections of host; ex pupa = reared from sampled pupa | |
| pupa | extracted pupa; pupa ex larva = reared pupa from larva | |
| larva | extracted larva (any stage including prepupa) | |
| gall (only) | hatched or unhatched gall identified by form and position rather than contents | |
| Plant names in green are hyperlinked to a matching host species page with plant photos. | ||
| Code | records | % | host plant taxa | |
| F | Fabaceae | 2 | 100% | 2 |
| position | records | sites | adult live | adult dead | |
| dead stem | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Adults show a strong association with Senna, but are also commonly found on a variety of Acacia species.
| ¹ Legend | regions | SA 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 |
| size | The ellipse is the correct size when printed, indicative on a desktop screen, and likely to be wrong on a mobile device. |