Atesta
Pascoe
Cerambycinae
Atesta Pascoe, 1866: 99. Type species: Phoracantha balteata Pascoe, 1864.
Diagnosis
Small to medium-sized, brown beetles bearing lighter markings on elytra; antennae in male reaching usually beyond apices of elytra. Frontoclypeus transverse. Gland opening at base of mandibles absent. Eyes coarsely facetted, deeply emarginate. Antennal tubercles broadly separated, distant from mandibular articulation. Antennal foramen depressed. Antennal scape distinctly shorter than pronotum; pedicel as long as wide; antennomere 3 longer than scape; antennomeres 3–7 with variously developed apical spines. Pronotum longer than wide, lateral margins weakly nodulose medially; pronotal disc nodulose. Prosternal process narrow, expanded apically. Procoxal cavities rounded without lateral extensions; open externally. Procoxae weakly projecting below prosternal process. Mesoventrite flat in front of mesocoxae; mesoventral intercoxal process moderately broad, with secondary articulation, notched apically. Mesocoxal cavities closed to mesepimeron; mesotrochantin hidden. Elytra without costae without ivory-coloured markings; punctures clearly visible, at least some in regular rows; apices pointed or rounded. Femora broadest near middle; tibiae not flattened.
Distribution and Biology
Atesta is an Australian endemic genus of 37 species known from all states and territories. The greater number of records are from along the eastern coast of the continent.
Australian Species
angasii (Pascoe)
Phoracantha angasii Pascoe, 1864: 233.
Atesta angasii unicolor Carter, 1929: 132.
antennale (Carter)
Sisyrium antennale Carter, 1929: 134.
apicale (Carter)
Sisyrium apicale Carter, 1929: 135.
balteata (Pascoe)
Phoracantha balteata Pascoe, 1864: 233.
besti Oke
Atesta besti Oke, 1928: 28.
bifasciata (Pascoe)
Phoracantha bifasciata Pascoe, 1863: 552.
brittoni Wang
Atesta brittoni Wang, 1993a: 1004.
brooksi Wang
Atesta brooksi Wang, 1993a: 1004.
carteri Wang
Atesta carteri Wang, 1993a: 998.
centroaustralica Wang
Atesta centroaustralica Wang, 1993a: 993.
chiangi (Wang)
Paratesta chiangi Wang, 1993b: 375.
ciliata (Pascoe)
Obrium ciliatum Pascoe, 1863: 559.
dixoni Oke
Atesta dixoni Oke, 1928: 28.
dorsale (Pascoe)
Obrium dorsale Pascoe, 1864: 237.
Sisyrium fraternum Blackburn, 1892: 58.
dubiosa (Wang)
Paratesta dubiosa Wang, 1993b: 373.
eremita Blackburn
Atesta eremita Blackburn, 1893: 194.
houstoni Wang
Atesta houstoni Wang, 1993a: 995.
ibidionoides (Pascoe)
Obrium ibidionoides Pascoe, 1859: 26.
latifasciata Wang
Atesta latifasciata Wang, 1993a: 976.
longoelytrata Wang
Atesta longoelytrata Wang, 1993a: 1012.
mapida Wang
Atesta mapida Wang, 1993a: 997.
mediana Wang
Atesta mediana Wang, 1993a: 978.
minuta Wang
Atesta minuta Wang, 1993a: 1011.
newi Wang
Atesta newi Wang, 1993a: 981.
nigrihumerus Wang
Atesta nigrihumerus Wang, 1993a: 1009.
opiloides (Pascoe)
Sidis opiloides Pascoe, 1866: 94.
paratasmanica Wang
Atesta paratasmanica Wang, 1993a: 988.
patula Wang
Atesta patula Wang, 1993a: 979.
pubescens Wang
Atesta pubescens Wang, 1993a: 1014.
sisyrioides Wang
Sisyrium bifasciatum Carter, 1929: 135.
Atesta sisyrioides Wang, 1993a: 1010.
sita Wang
Atesta sita Wang, 1993a: 1018.
sparsa (Blackburn)
Sisyrium sparsum Blackburn, 1892: 60.
Sisyrium plagiatum Gahan, 1893: 177.
stigmosa (Pascoe)
Igenia stigmosa Pascoe, 1866: 95.
tasmanica (Gahan)
Acyrusa tasmanica Gahan, 1893: 174.
thorntoni Wang
Atesta thorntoni Wang, 1993a: 972.
tripartita (Pascoe)
Obrium tripartitum Pascoe, 1864: 238.
tropicale (Carter)
Sisyrium tropicale Carter, 1929: 136.
unifasciata Wang
Atesta unifasciata Wang, 1993a: 1008.
vittata (Blackburn)
Sisyrium stigmosum var. vittatum Blackburn, 1892: 58.
Sisyrium ventrale Blackburn, 1892: 59.
References
Blackburn, T. 1892. Further notes on Australian Coleoptera with descriptions of new genera and species. Part XI. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 15(1): 20–73.
Blackburn, T. 1893. Scientific results of the Elder Exploring Expedition: Coleoptera (continued). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 16: 177–202.
Carter, H.J. 1929. Revision of the Australian Phoracanthini (Fam. Cerambycidae), with notes, and descriptions of new species of this group and of allied genera. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 54: 118–136.
Gahan, C.J. 1893. Notes on the longicornia of Australia and Tasmania. Part I., with a list of the species collected by Mr. J. J. Walker, R.N., F.L.S., and descriptions of new forms. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1893: 165–197.
Oke, C. 1928. Notes on Australian Coleoptera, with descriptions of new species. Part I. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 53(2): 1–30.
Pascoe, F.P. 1859. On new genera and species of longicorn Coleoptera. Part IV. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London n.s. 5(1): 12–16.
Pascoe, F.P. 1863. Notes on the Australian longicornia, with descriptions of sixty new species. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 3 1(7): 526–570 pls xxii, xxiii.
Pascoe, F.P. 1864. Descriptions of some new Australian longicornia. Journal of Entomology 2(10): 223–245 pl. xi.
Pascoe, F.P. 1866. On the longicornia of Australia, with a list of all the described species. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 9: 80–112.
Wang, Q. 1993a. A revision of Atesta Pascoe (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Phoracanthini) from Australia, with descriptions of eighteen new species. Invertebrate Taxonomy 7: 961–1024.
Wang, Q. 1993b. Paratesta gen. nov. (Coleoptera : Cerambycidae) from Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 32: 369–377.
