Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Melobasis cf. splendida Green  
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Melobasini » subtribe  Melobasina
Melobasis  species group: purpurascens
Melobasis cf. splendida Green   Adult images
Melobasis cf. splendida Green, PL3750, female, on Beyeria lechenaultii, SL, 10.4 × 4.0 mm Melobasis cf. splendida Green, PL3750, female, on Beyeria lechenaultii, SL, 10.4 × 4.0 mm Melobasis cf. splendida Green, PL3748, female, on Beyeria lechenaultii, SL, 10.8 × 4.1 mm Melobasis cf. splendida Green, PL3748, female, on Beyeria lechenaultii, SL, 10.8 × 4.1 mm Melobasis cf. splendida Green, PL3750, female, on Beyeria lechenaultii, SL, 10.4 × 4.0 mm Melobasis cf. splendida Green, PL3750, female, on Beyeria lechenaultii, SL, 10.4 × 4.0 mm Melobasis cf. splendida Green, PL3750, on Beyeria lechenaultii, SL, 10.4 × 4.0 mm Melobasis cf. splendida Green, PL3750, female, on Beyeria lechenaultii, SL, 10.4 × 4.0 mm
Actual
size¹:
9.6 mm
×
3.6 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L18.7
8.6 – 8.75
 n = 310.1
9.3 – 10.8
 n = 5
L28.4
8.4 – 8.45
 n = 29.9
9 – 10.55
 n = 5
W3.2
3.15 – 3.4
 n = 33.9
3.6 – 4.05
 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
Notes

This entity has the appearance of a green form of Melobasis splendida but it occurs fairly consistently in a discrete isolated population and may be worthy of taxonomic recognition. The collection localities have been suppressed from the map for conservation purposes.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  SL
Australian States:  SA,  +?
Adult activity records for Melobasis cf. splendida Green  (total actual records: 14 beetles)
1
10 3
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 > 3 (median)
actual count <= 3 (median)
Adult host plant
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
Beyeria lechenaultii142SLE
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
E Euphorbiaceae 14 100% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on foliage or non-flowering plant111
on plant (unspecified)31
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.