A redescription and notes on biology of Cisseis fascigera Obenberger (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) on declining Eucalyptus wandoo in south‐western Australia

Cisseis fascigera (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), a wood-boring insect implicated in the development of decline symptoms on Eucalyptus wandoo (Myrtaceae) in south-western Australia, is redescribed including observations on its biology on E. wandoo. Confusion surrounding generic placement was attributed to a subtle morphological divergence between sexes (termed pseudo-dimorphism) in characters subject to historic, taxonomic controversy in Coroebini, Bedel (e.g. depression on the frontovertex) and current generic diagnostics were used to justify its placement in Cisseis Gory & Laporte. Holotype locality was not consistent with the radiation of Cisseis across Australia and well-established endemic habitats, suggesting a processing error or relict host in New Guinea. Cisseis fascigera was distinguished from other Australian wood-borers (e.g. Phoracantha spp.) by a strongly selected oviposition site on twigs and longitudinally constructed galleries, implying a different attack strategy, requiring further study into a host-stress relationship. The ability of larvae to complete a 1-year life cycle may be influenced by factors limiting the entry into large branches prior to overwintering. High variability in larval size was recorded, suggesting ambient developmental constraints differed between host stands and/or an extended emergence period, as adult beetles were captured from November to February. Future work involving trapping large numbers of adult beetles and using gallery width as a proxy for larval instars would enable bionomic analysis and a better understanding of the biology of this important endemic buprestid.

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