Synonyms
Bucolus frater Blackburn, 1895: 255.
Diagnosis
B. frater resembles B. stragulatus and B. idyleae most closely, especially in body shape and colouration. B. frater differs distinctly from B. stragulatus by its much larger prosternal projection, broad protibiae and dorsal pubescence forming distinct whorled pattern on elytra. B. idyleae is generally larger and more convex than B. frater and its protibia is distinctly notched along tarsal groove.
Description
Length 2.9-3.3 mm; Colour dark brown to almost black except for anterior part of clypeus, mouthparts, antennae, apices of tibiae and tarsi and abdomen which are brown; anterior angles of pronotum sometimes yellowish brown. Dorsum weakly convex, covered with dense, whitish pubescence forming distinct whorled pattern on elytra. Punctures on head distinctly finer than eye facets, separated by 1.0-1.5 diameters; intervals between punctures shiny without microsculpture. Anterior clypeal margin shallowly and broadly arcuate. Apical maxillary palpomere as long as broad and almost parallel sided. Eyes weakly emarginate; at frons separated by about 2 times eye width. Pronotal base not margined; prosternum long in front of procoxae with distinct and forward oriented, setose projection about 0.5 times as broad as prosternum. Prosternal process 0.7 times as wide as transverse coxal diameter. Hypomeron deeply concave but without distinct foveae. Scutellum triangular, setose. Elytral surface densely, irregularly and double punctate; larger punctures 2-3 times as large as pronotal ones, variously spaced, located mostly on lateral parts of elytra, intermixed with much smaller setigerous punctures of variable dispersion; interspaces shiny and without noticeable microsculpture. Epipleuron strongly narrowing posteriorly from the level of abdomen and completely absent apically; foveae well defined; the mesofemoral fovea delimited both on metepisternum and epipleuron; the metafemoral one deeply delimited on elipleuron. Meso-metaventral junction about as wide as mesocoxa; mesoventrite straight and bordered anteriorly. Protibia short and broad, almost straight along external margin of tarsal groove; mid and hind tibiae similar, narrow and sharply angulate externally; claws in both sexes appendiculate with basal tooth prominent and short, in male almost as long as claw. Abdominal postcoxal line recurved and complete; ventrite V distinctly arcuate with fine marginal line.
Male
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Female
Externally identical to male.
Variation
Not observed.
Distribution and Biology
Known from scattered localities in southern and eastern part of Australia including Tasmania.
Species References
Blackburn, T. 1895. Further notes on Australian Coleoptera, with descriptions of new genera and species. XVIII. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia,19: 201-258.
Slipinski, A and Dolambi, F. 2007. Revision of the Australian Coccinellidae (Coleoptera). Part 7. Genus Bucolus Mulsant. Annales Zoologici (Warszawa), 57: 763-781.
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