male | female | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L1 | 4.3 | 3.75 – 4.95 | n = 39 | 4.6 | 3.85 – 5.35 | n = 25 |
L2 | 4.2 | 3.6 – 4.8 | n = 33 | 4.4 | 3.75 – 5.2 | n = 24 |
W | 1.8 | 1.55 – 2 | n = 39 | 1.9 | 1.5 – 2.2 | n = 25 |
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 |
Very shiny golden-bronze above, subcylindrical shape. Head with shallow sulcus extending from vertex one third of the way down the frons. Pronotum basal margin gently deflexed towards outer corners. Aedeagus with dark raised thickened edges to parameres, but their tips sharply narrowed and colourless; the centromere mid-brown and relatively broad with a slightly blunt acute-angled apex.
Anilara aeraria was included as a new species in the revision of Anilara by Carter 1926, based on type material from WA. It separates very simply using Carter's key: the shiny brassy-bronze colouration places it with A. purpurascens, from which it differs by its sub-cylindrical shape and by each elytron having two carinules. In Carter's description these are only 'subcarinate impressions', one extending diagonally from shoulder to apex, the other forming a 'pseudomargin'.
Recognition of this species from the type specimens may have been compromised by their dark blackish appearance which is an artefact. On p. 56 Carter noted: 'On removing the specimens from the cards by immersion in hot water I find that the brassy sheen has been unfortunately changed to a darker bronze'.
Ten years later, Carter 1936 described as a new species the very similar A. subimpressa, also from WA material. This species is of a similar size, 4-5 x 2 mm (vs 4-5 x 1.8-2 mm) and 'shiny bright bronze above'. The elytra also have weak ribbing but this time only a single diagonal 'subcostate impression' which does not extend much beyond the basal third of the elytron. In distinguishing it from A. subcostata, 'the only other subcostate species,' he appears to overlook A. aeraria. The holotype of A. aeraria at SA Museum has weak carinae or costae on the elytra not greatly different from those in many specimens of A. subcostata where they vary in prominence and extent.
I am unable to satisfactorily separate A. subimpressa from A. aeraria and consider that it is possibly synonymous with the latter.
Legend | P.J.Lang collection vouchered records | |
other private collection or museum specimens, or sightings |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Legend | ||
9 | number of active beetles, actually recorded in that quarter-month | |
2 | estimate of active beetles, inferred* from adjoining date ranges | |
actual count > 6 (median) | ||
actual count <= 6 (median) | ||
*Inferred when a site has counts of active beetles for each of two consecutive
periods (date ranges), one finishing and the other starting in the same
quarter-month. The count estimate is assigned to that quarter-month and calculated as the lower of the two total beetle counts, divided by the number of quarter-months in its date range. |
beetles | sites | SA regions¹ | family | position on host plant | |||
Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana | 90 | 8 | MU, SL, SE | C | |||
Acacia pycnantha | 1 | 1 | SE | F | |||
Allocasuarina sp. | 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 | |
C | Casuarinaceae | 91 | 99% | 1 |
F | Fabaceae | 1 | 1% | 1 |
position | beetles | sites | |
on foliage or non-flowering plant | 80 | 7 | |
on plant (unspecified) | 12 | 3 |
colour | beetles | sites | SA regions¹ | |
blue | 4 | 1 | SE | |
purple-pink | 1 | 1 | SE | |
yellow | 1 | 1 | SE |
The adults are strongly associated with Common Oak-bush Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana in SA, which is considered to be a likely candidate for larval host also.
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. |