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M. Peterson 
indicates failed larval development in previous 
years or prolonged development of larvae/pupae. 
The presence of powdered or particulate material 
in the abdomen of female stigmoderine buprestids 
has been previously noted by three authors, 
although the purposes ascribed to this material and 
the hypotheses of its method of uptake and 
utilisation have differed. 
Dodd (1913: 103-104; 1916: xxvi-xxvii) reported 
two or three little sacs containing fine sand "at the 
extreme tip of the abdomen" in dissected female 
Temognatha regia (Blackburn, 1892) (as Stigmodera 
regia) and observed females on the ground taking 
up sand into these sacs, although he was unable to 
determine the exact mechanism of sand uptake. As 
the females involved were old and contained few 
eggs, he suggested that the sand served as ballast 
to stabilize post-oviposition flight in females, in 
windy conditions. 
Macqueen (1948: 1-2; 1964: 17) similarly reported 
powdered charcoal in the abdomen of Temognatha 
fortnumi (Hope, 1843) (as Stigmodera ( Thermognatha) 
fortnumi), and observed females scraping their 
abdomens against charred timber, apparently 
taking in charcoal. These observations were made 
in "similar circumstances" to his earlier 
observations of presumed oviposition in the same 
species. In these earlier instances, females were 
observed probing among charred ironbark 
(Eucalyptus spp.) sapwood with their abdominal 
tips, although oviposition was not specifically 
observed. Macqueen (1948: 2) suggested that the 
eggs were coated with charcoal, in some manner, 
prior to oviposition. 
Gardner (1990: 296) reported a posteriorly 
opening sac lying dorsal to the vagina and 
interposed between the dorsal valve and style¬ 
bearing valve of the stigmoderine ovipositor. She 
named this sac the "particle sac", as it was often 
packed with charcoal, sand, or fragments of plants 
(Gardner, 1990:313). Gardner (1990: 313) further 
suggested that the short ovipositor of the 
Stigmoderini (with its heavily sclerotised spatulate 
setae) was an adaptation for excavating an 
oviposition depression in soil or host plants, that 
the particle sac filled with particles during the 
creation of this excavation, and that the eggs may 
be subsequently coated by material expelled from 
the sac. Gardner (1990: 296, 298-300) also reported 
the presence of a multilobed female accessory 
gland (in the median ventral surface of the vagina) 
in the genera Temognatha, Calodema and 
Metaxymorpha (one species-group). She suggested 
(1990:299) controlled release of the gland's contents 
because of the presence of striated muscle 
penetrating between its lobes. Gardner (1990:319) 
also suggested as uses for the glandular secretion 
(at least partly composed of mucopolysaccharides) 
"an eggshell which hardens on contact with air to 
protect against water loss or attack by bacteria or 
fungi; a toxin to discourage predators; an adhesive 
to make the eggs sticky so that they acquire a 
protective covering of particles or to cement the 
eggs to a substrate or to each other; a trophic 
substance; or a tropho-stimulant to encourage 
newly emerged larvae to eat their eggshells". 
The observations reported in this paper partially 
elucidate the function/use of the contents of the 
particle sac and female accessory gland in some 
stigmoderine buprestids. 
The observations on charcoal-scraping by 
Temognatha bruckii extend those made for T. 
fortnumi by Macqueen and confirm that charcoal is 
taken up by the combined action of stemite 7 and 
ovipositor. Dodd and Macqueen had previously 
only established that material was taken in via the 
abdominal apex, although Macqueen (1948: 2; 1964: 
17) had suggested that charcoal was powdered by 
the ventral plates of the abdomen and gathered by 
"short bristly hairs" around the anal opening. 
The observations on T. chalcodera confirm the 
suggestions of both Macqueen and Gardner that 
the material in the particle sac may be used to 
cover the egg ( contra Dodd), but differ in several 
features from their suggested mechanisms. Firstly, 
at least in T. chalcodera, the egg is covered by a 
protective dome of sand immediately after/during 
oviposition, not coated with it prior to being laid 
(Macqueen's hypothesis). Secondly, in this species 
the material in the particle sac is clearly not 
collected by the female from the oviposition site, 
but is collected elsewhere prior to oviposition, and 
then transported in the particle sac to the 
oviposition site where it is ejected over the surface 
of the egg as part of the oviposition sequence. 
Thirdly, the eggs of T. chalcodera are laid on the 
surface of the stem/trunk, not in an excavation 
(either in the ground or host plant) as suggested by 
Gardner. While direct observations on oviposition 
in the charcoal-scraping species are lacking, the 
similarities in uptake of particles suggest a similar 
use for the material to that seen in T. chalcodera. In 
light of these observations, it seems likely that the 
spatulate setae on the style-bearing valve of the 
ovipositor of the Stigmoderini are involved in 
particle collection rather than any excavation for 
egg deposition (contra Gardner, 1990: 313). It also 
seems likely that the primary function of the 
accessory gland secretion is to "glue" the egg to 
the surface of the intended hostplant and to then 
cement particles ejected from the particle sac onto 
the remaining exposed surface of the egg. The 
accessory gland secretion may secondarily 
augment the role of the sand/charcoal coating on 
the eggs and perform some of the other functions 
suggested by Gardner. 
The four species for which observations of 
oviposition and presumed pre-oviposition 
