Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate   (updated 26 Nov 2025)
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Melobasini » subtribe  Melobasina
Melobasis  species group: nervosa
Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate   Adult images (last updated: 29 Mar 2020)
Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate, PL1031A, from Acacia wattsiana, NL, 0.45 km ESE Webb Gap, 2 Dec 2009, 14.9 × 4.7 mm
Actual
size¹:
15.3 mm
×
4.9 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L114.2
13.4 – 14.9
 n = 216.1
14.55 – 18.1
 n = 3
L215.8
14.05 – 17.5
 n = 2
W4.5
4.3 – 4.7
 n = 25.2
4.7 – 5.75
 n = 3
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 sp. Dark grey costate  Distinctive features

Close to M. nervosa but differing by its more convex shape (in lateral view), dark grey rather than bronze coloration, aedeagus morphology, and the teeth at extreme elytral apices being blunter, shallower and sparser. Differs from M. angustecostata in having a darker more greyish bronze colouration overall, more strongly raised costae, pink to violet tones on the elytral apices, and the aedeagus more strongly and sharply expanded in its apical part. Also resembles some specimens of Melobasis soror basicostata from WA but has larger overall size with aedeagus longer and distinct in shape.

Notes

This appears to be an undescribed species (or subspecies) allied to M. nervosa and associated with the Northern Mt Lofty and Flinders Ranges.

In his protologue of Melobasis igniceps, a species which is otherwise known only from WA, Levey 2018 listed three SA collections: from Gawler [labelled as Gowlerstown], Moolooloo and Quorn, the latter two in the central and southern Flinders Ranges respectively. Levey commented that the SA specimens 'might be representatives of a different undescribed subspecies or species .. having the 2nd and 3rd elytral costae much better developed and other slight differences' but he refrained from describing it, having only seen female specimens.

The two Flinders Ranges specimens above were returned from loan in 2025. On examination I found them to match my three collections to which I had assigned the phrase name Melobasis sp. Dark grey costate and featured on this website. This is clearly a different species to M. igniceps as is evident from the very different aedeagus morphology seen on my two male specimens. I now no longer consider M. igniceps to occur in SA.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  FR,  NL,  SL
Australian States:  SA,  +?
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 sp. Dark grey costate  (total actual records: 4 beetles)
1
1
2
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Legend
9
number of active beetles, actually recorded in that quarter-month
actual count > 1 (median)
actual count <= 1 (median)
Adult host plants
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
Acacia calamifolia22FRF
Acacia wattsiana21NLF
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
F Fabaceae 4 100% 2
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on flowering plant21
on foliage or non-flowering plant22
Host plant notes

Adults have only been recorded from Acacia species.

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.