Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Melobasis sp. Dichromatic  
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Melobasini » subtribe  Melobasina
Melobasis  species group: obscurella
Melobasis sp. Dichromatic   Adult images
Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL2302B, male, on Acacia retinodes, MU Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL2302B, male, on Acacia retinodes, MU Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL2302B, male, on Acacia retinodes, MU Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL1032I, male, from Acacia wattsiana, NL, 6.4 × 2.2 mm Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL0436, female, from Acacia retinodes, MU, 6.9 × 2.4 mm Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL1032A, female, on Acacia wattsiana, NL, 8.2 × 3.0 mm Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL0436, female, on Acacia retinodes, MU, 6.9 × 2.4 mm Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL0436, female, on Acacia retinodes, MU, 6.9 × 2.4 mm Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL0436, female, on Acacia retinodes, MU, 6.9 × 2.4 mm Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL0704, female, on Acacia retinodes, MU, 9.0 × 3.3 mm Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL2302B, male, on Acacia retinodes, MU Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL2302B, male, on Acacia retinodes, eating foliage, MU Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL2302B, male, on Acacia retinodes, MU Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL2302B, male, on Acacia retinodes, eating foliage, MU Melobasis sp. Dichromatic, PL0436, PL1032I, female and male
Actual
size¹:
7.1 mm
×
2.5 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L16.7
5.6 – 7.2
 n = 157.5
6.1 – 8.95
 n = 13
W2.4
2 – 2.6
 n = 152.7
2.2 – 3.3
 n = 13
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 undescribed species is notable for its extreme sexual dichromatism.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  NL,  MU
Australian States:  SA,  +?
Southern 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. Dichromatic  (total actual records: 82 beetles)
1 30
39
12
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 > 21 (median)
actual count <= 21 (median)
Adult host plants
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
Acacia wattsiana501NLF
Acacia retinodes281MUF
Acacia argyrophylla31MUF
Acacia pycnantha11NLF
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 82 100% 4
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on flowering plant132
on foliage or non-flowering plant692
Larval host plant
records sites SA regions¹ family adult ex billet
Acacia wattsiana11NLF1
Legendrecordscount of breeding adults, pupae and larvae
sitescount of major sites (unique 10 km grid cells +/- some distinct approximate localities)
adultlive = 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
pupaextracted pupa;   pupa ex larva = reared pupa from larva
larvaextracted 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.
Plant family
Code records % host plant taxa
F Fabaceae 1 100% 1
Position in larval host
positionrecordssitesadult ex billet
dead stem111
Host plant notes

I reared a single adult male from billets cut from dead branches of Dog Wattle, Acacia wattsiana, one of its main adult host plant 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.