Uracanthus gigas Lea, 1916

Thongphak, Duangrat & Wang, Qiao, 2007, Taxonomic revision of the longicorn beetle genus Uracanthus Hope 1833 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Uracanthini) from Australia., Zootaxa 1569 (1569), pp. 1-139 : 38-39

Uracanthus gigas Lea, 1916

(Figs 36, 74, 102)

Uracanthus gigas Lea, 1916: 372 .— McKeown, 1947: 64.

Description Male. Body length, 40.61–53.78 mm; width, 8.87–10.25 mm.

Colour (Fig. 36). Head, prothorax, legs and elytra blackish brown to black; head and thorax with fairly long golden or pale hairs and the remaining body with fairly dense short white pubescence.

Head. Postclypeus semicircular or subtriangular, with fairly dense punctures; frontoclypeal suture deep and narrow in middle; frons and vertex with fairly coarse punctures; distance between lower lobes of eyes 2.0–2.09 × as long as distance between upper lobes of eyes; distance between upper lobes of eyes 2.09–2.1 × as long as distance between eyes on ventral side; genal length 0.31–0.36 × as long as head width immediately below eyes. Antennae longer than body; segments 4–10 slightly produced on one side at apex.

Thorax and abdomen. Pronotum 0.83–0.89 × as long as width, rounded at side; posterior margin 1.34– 1.52 × as wide as anterior margin; pronotal disc and sides uneven but no obvious nodules on disc. Scutellum semicircular, with dense pubescence. Elytra 5.16–6.74 × as long as prothorax and 3.11–4.01 × as long as shoulder width; each elytron with 3–4 raised longitudinal carinae; elytra with fairly dense, fine punctures throughout; elytral apex bispinose. Apex of terminal sternite truncate or slightly emarginate.

Male terminalia. Apex of ventral median lobe rounded; ventral lobe slightly longer than or as long as dorsal lobe; internal sac with dense long simple spines almost throughout except short basal and terminal areas ( Fig. 74a). Eighth sternite obliquely truncate, side sharply pointed and apex heavily emarginated, with dense long setae; ventral surface with sparse simple spines and cloud-like processes ( Fig. 74b). Eighth tergite round at sides and rounded or slightly truncate at apex, with fairly dense basally-forked spines on dorsal surface ( Fig. 74c). Paramere long, 2.8–2.9 × as long as wide, cylindrical in shape, apex rounded with long and short setae ( Fig. 74d).

Female. Body length, 31.65–60.56 mm; width, 11.10–12.30 mm

Body broader with robust abdomen; antennae and legs shorter. Pronotum 0.78–0.91 × as long as width. Elytra 3.28–4.04 × as long as shoulder width and 6.45–7.06 × as long as prothorax. Body colour may be brighter in females of some specimens

Ovipositor and spermatheca. Ovipositor relatively long; styli arising terminally with short hairs ( Fig. 74e). Spermatheca relatively short and robust, moderately curved; spermathecal gland arising at base ( Fig. 74f).

Distribution Western Western Australia and eastern Queensland ( Fig. 102).

Biology

Known hosts are Brigalow ( Acacia harpophylla ). Adults were attracted to MV light and were collected during May to December, and February to March.

Comments

This species resembles U. pseudogigas sp. nov. but differs in having the elytral apex bispinose and the ventral median lobe of the aedeagus rounded.

Material examined

Holotype. ♂. QLD: Kingaroy (26º32'S, 151º50'E), French Collection ( NMV)

Paratypes. 1 ♂, 1 ♀. QLD: 1 ♀, same data as above but Coll. no. 18529 ( SAM). WA : 1 ♂, locality unknown ( NMV) .

Other material examined. 31 ♂, 6 ♀. QLD: 1 ♂, Brialow Res. Site 1 (28º48'S, 149º45'E), softwood scrub, 160m, 18.xi.2000, at MV light, A. Ewart, Coll. no. 9595 ( QM) ; 1 ♂, East of Wonga Hill , 20 m, site 3 (26º04'S, 150º49'E), 11.xii.2001, vine scrub, at MV light, Cook & Wright ( QM) ; 1 ♂, Coomooboolaroo (23º54'S, 149º30'E), C. Bainara ( SAM) ; 1 ♀, Edungalba (23º43'S, 149º50'E), 1939, E. E. Adams, terminalia slide no. f- 030414-3 ( QM) ; 1 ♂, N Taroom (25º36'S, 149º46'E), 2.x.1991, MV light, G. Danniels ( UQIC) ; 1 ♂, Mut- taburra, E. Monteith, terminalia slide no. m-030414-5 ( UQIC) ; 1 ♀, Hughenden RW, Bommbrick snap stack, 19.v.1934, terminalia slide no. f-030414-1 ( UQIC) ; 1 ♂, Coroorok R ( UQIC) ; 2 ♂, SE by E of Lifracombe , 17.iii.1971, R. A. H. Davis ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, same data as above but 19.iii.1971 ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, Edungalba , hatched from brigalow, i.1946, A. & B. Smith ( ANIC) . 1 ♀, same locality as above but 1944 ( ANIC) . WA: 1 ♂, Wadgingarra ( WAM) ; 1 ♂, Gullewa ( WAM) ; 1 ♀, same data as above but ( QM) ; 1 ♂, Boologooro HS (24º39'S, 113º42'E), 27–29.iix.1980, C. A. Howard & T. F. Houston ( WAM) ; 1 ♂, same data as above but terminalia slide no. m-030414-7 ( WAM) ; 1 ♂, Mooka stn upper Gasecoyne, 10.x.1971; P. Bridge & M. Thomas, terminalia slide no. m-030414-4 ( WAM) ; 1 ♂, Forrest , iix.1873 ( WAM) ; 1 ♂, Middalya , 4.ii.1904, T. Weir ( NMV) ; 1 ♂, Carnarvon , Yalbalgo stn., 12.ix.1950, A. Snell ( WADA) ; 1 ♂, same data as above but terminalia slide no. m-030414-6 ( WADA) ; 1 ♀, same data as above but 21.iix.1950, terminalia slide no. f-030414-2 ( WADA) ; 1 ♂, Carnarvon , Jimba Jimba, ix.1949, A. Snell ( WADA) ; 4 ♂, N by E Singlatan Mt. (29º21'S, 117º20'E), 28.ix.1981, J. C. Cardale ( ANIC) ; 8 ♂, NE Ninghan HS, 26 m, nr Lake Moore , 23.x.1963, at light, A. V. Williamson ( ANIC) .