Epuraea aestiva

This is a difficult genus to identify, but aestiva is apparently the commonest member.

This individual was the first aestiva that I have identified but I don't think I would have been able to name it confidently without having examined its genitalia. I used both the Hackston and Duff keys and neither clearly led me to a convincing conclusion before checking the genitalia. Duff did lead me to aestiva, but there was at least one contrary indication, namely the presence of a median longitudinal impression extending for most (not all) the length of the metasternum. The punctures on the pronotum were really hard to see, but appeared to be intermediate between aestiva and melina as illustrated in Duff.

male Epuraea aestiva showing its pronotum, metasternum and its aedeagus (side, flat, close-up of apex), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 27th May 2021

The next one (I didn't process them in order) wasn't much easier. I tentatively arrived at aestiva using both keys but it wasn't entirely straightforward. The mid coxae were slightly more separated, intermediate between the figures accompanying couplet 7 in Duff (but the gap between the hind coxae matched the illustration for aestiva better). Unlike the previous individual the pronotum puncturing was clearly dense. Like the other one, this showed a clear median longitudinal impression extending for most of the length of the metasternum. Am I misinterpreting this feature, have I gone wrong some other way, or has Duff got it wrong? I can't see how else to interpret it!? This one was a female so I couldn't check its genitalia, but I'm reasnably confident the ID is correct (though always happy to hear from anyone if you think it might not be).

female Epuraea aestiva showing its metasternum and pronotum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 7th May 2021

This one pre-dated the last two but was processed later. The ID was relatively straightforward now. I'm not sure if the line down the middle of the metasternum is really impressed, or if it isn't just a visible line beneath the surface. Anyhow, I guess I need to find a melina to see what the difference is.

female Epuraea aestiva showing its pronotum, metasternum and 3 views of the aedeagus (median lobe beside tegmen), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 2nd May 2020