Buprestidae is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of
beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
s known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy
iridescent
Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear to gradually change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Examples of iridescence include soap bubbles, feathers, butterfl ...
colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheaded borers. The family is among the largest of the beetles, with some 15,500
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
known in 775
genera. In addition, almost 100 fossil species have been described.
The larger and more spectacularly colored jewel beetles are highly prized by
insect collector
Insect collecting refers to the collection of insects and other arthropods for scientific study or as a hobby. Most insects are small and the majority cannot be identified without the examination of minute morphological characters, so entom ...
s. The
elytra of some Buprestidae species have been traditionally used in
beetlewing jewellery and decoration in certain countries in Asia, like India, Thailand and Japan.
Description and ecology
Shape is generally cylindrical or elongate to ovoid, with lengths ranging from , although most species are under . ''
Catoxantha'', ''
Chrysaspis'', ''
Euchroma'' and ''
Megaloxantha'' contain the largest species. A variety of bright colors are known, often in complicated patterns. The
iridescence common to these beetles is not due to pigments in the
exoskeleton, but instead is caused by
structural coloration, in which microscopic texture in their cuticle selectively reflects specific frequencies of light in particular directions. This is the same effect that makes a
compact disc
The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...
reflect multiple colors.
The
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
Th ...
e bore through roots, logs, stems, and leaves of various types of plants, ranging from
trees to
grasses. The wood boring types generally favor dying or dead branches on otherwise-healthy trees, while a few types attack green wood; some of these are serious pests capable of killing trees and causing major economic damage, such as the invasive
emerald ash borer. Some species are attracted to recently burned forests to lay their eggs. They can sense
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...
wood smoke from up to 50 miles away, and can see
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from aroun ...
light, helping them to zero in as they get closer to a
forest fire.
Ten species of flatheaded borers of the family Buprestidae feed on
spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ( taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the sub ...
and
fir
Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...
, but
hemlock is their preferred food source (Rose and Lindquist 1985).
[Rose, A.H.; Lindquist, O.H. 1985. Insects of eastern spruces, fir and, hemlock, revised edition. Gov’t Can., Can. For. Serv., Ottawa, For. Tech. Rep. 23. 159 p. (cited in Coates et al. 1994, cited orig ed 1977)] As with
roundheaded borers, most feeding occurs in dying or dead trees, or close to injuries on living trees. Damage becomes abundant only where a continuing supply of breeding material is available. The life history of these borers is similar to that of the roundheaded borers, but some exceedingly long life cycles have been reported under adverse conditions. Full-grown
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
Th ...
e, up to 25 mm long, are characteristically flattened, the anterior part of the body being much broader than the rest. The bronzed adults are usually seen only where suitable material occurs in sunny locations.
Systematics
Jewel beetle classification is not yet robustly established, although there appear to be five or six main lineages, which may be considered subfamilies, possibly with one or two being raised to families in their own right. Some other systems define up to 14 subfamilies.
Subfamilies and selected Genera
The commonly accepted subfamilies, with some representative genera, are:
Agrilinae – cosmopolitan, with most taxa occurring in the Northern Hemisphere
* ''
Agrilus''
Curtis, 1825
* ''
Anodontodora''
Obenberger, 1931
* ''
Asymades''
Kerremans, 1893
* ''
Brachys
''Brachys'' is a genus of metallic wood-boring beetles in the family Buprestidae. There are at least 140 described species in ''Brachys''.
See also
* List of Brachys species
This is a list of species in ''Brachys'', a genus of metallic wood-bo ...
''
Dejean, 1833
* ''
Chalcophlocteis
''Chalcophlocteis'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flath ...
''
Obenberger, 1924
* ''
Discoderoides''
Théry, 1936
* ''
Entomogaster
''Entomogaster'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flathead ...
''
Saunders, 1871
* ''
Ethiopoeus
''Ethiopoeus'' is a monotypic genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, the jewel beetles. The sole species, ''Ethiopoeus croesus'' was moved from genus ''Meliboeus'' in 2008. This beetle is native to Africa
Africa is the world's seco ...
''
Bellamy, 2008
* ''
Madecorformica
''Madecorformica'' is a monotypic beetle genus in the family Buprestidae, the jewel beetles. The only species is ''Madecorformica silhouetta'', native to Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ...
''
Bellamy, 2008
* ''
Meliboeus''
Deyrolle, 1864
* ''
Pachyschelus
''Pachyschelus'' is a genus of metallic wood-boring beetles in the family Buprestidae
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family a ...
''
Solier, 1833
* ''
Paracylindromorphus
''Paracylindromorphus'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following species:
Species
* ''Paracylindromorphus achardi'' (Obenberger, 1928)
* ''Paracylindromorphus africanus'' (Obenberger, 1924)
* ''Paracylindromorphu ...
''
Thery, 1930
* ''
Paradorella''
Obenberger, 1923
* ''
Pseudokerremansia
''Pseudokerremansia'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, the jewel beetles. They are native to Africa.
Species include:
*''Pseudokerremansia arcuata'' (Peringuey, 1908)
*''Pseudokerremansia zuluensis'' Bellamy, 2008
References ''
Bellamy & Holm, 1985
* ''
Strandietta
''Strandietta'' is a genus of beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. Th ...
''
Obenberger, 1931
*†''
Burmagrilus''
Jiang et al. 2021 Burmese amber, Myanmar,
Cenomanian
Buprestinae – cosmopolitan
* ''
Agrilozodes''
Thery, 1927
* ''
Anthaxia
''Anthaxia'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae.
Subgenera
There are three subgenera of ''Anthaxia'':
* ''Anthaxia (Anthaxia)'' Eschscholtz, 1829
* Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) Reitter, 1911
* Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) Richter, 1944
Sp ...
''
Eschscholtz
Johann Friedrich Gustav von Eschscholtz (1 November 1793 – 7 May 1831)Sterling (1997) was a Baltic German physician, naturalist, and entomologist
Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term " ...
, 1829
* ''
Bubastoides
''Bubastoides'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheade ...
''
* ''
Buprestis
''Buprestis'' is a genus of beetles in the tribe Buprestini, the jewel beetles. As of 2011 there were 78 described species distributed across most of the world's biogeographic realms except parts of Africa and Antarctica.
Species include:
...
''
* ''
Calodema
''Calodema'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, tribe Stigmoderini, containing the following species:
* ''Calodema'' ''annae'' Grasso, 2020
* ''Calodema bifasciata'' Neef de Sainval & Lander, 1993
* '' Calodema blairi'' Neef de S ...
'' – found only in Australia and New Guinea; usually in rain forests
* ''
Castiarina
''Castiarina'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, tribe Stigmoderini. This is one of the largest genera of beetles in Australia and emerge in the summertime to coordinate with flowering of native plants including ''Eucalyptus'' and ...
'' – about 500 species, found only in Australia and New Guinea, previously considered a
subgenus of ''Stigmodera''
* ''
Chrysobothris''
* ''
Colobogaster
''Colobogaster'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flathea ...
''
* ''
Conognatha
''Conognatha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, tribe Stigmoderini, containing the following species: They are found in the Neotropical realm.
* '' Conognatha abdominalis'' Waterhouse, 1912
* '' Conognatha acuminata'' Thomson, ...
''
* ''
Eurythyrea
''Eurythyrea'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheade ...
''
* ''
Hiperantha
''Hiperantha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheade ...
''
* ''
Metaxymorpha
''Metaxymorpha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following species:
* ''Metaxymorpha alexanderiensis'' Nylander, 2008
* ''Metaxymorpha apicalis'' (van de Poll, 1886)
* ''Metaxymorpha apicerubra'' Thery, 1923
* '' ...
'' – found only in Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia; usually in rain forests
* ''
Stigmodera'' – 7 species remain here
* ''
Temognatha
''Temognatha'' is a genus of metallic wood-boring beetles. Over 85 species in the genus are native to Australia.
Species
Species include:
* '' Temognatha aestimata'' (Kerremans, 1898)
* '' Temognatha affinis'' (Saunders, 1868)
* '' Temognath ...
'' – About 83-85 species, found only in Australia and New Guinea, previously considered a subgenus of ''Stigmodera''
Chrysochroinae
* ''
Capnodis
''Capnodis'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following species:
* '' Capnodis anthracina'' (Fischer von Waldheim, 1830)
* '' Capnodis antiqua'' Heer, 1847
* '' Capnodis carbonaria'' (Klug, 1829)
* ''Capnodis cari ...
''
* ''
Chalcophora
''Chalcophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following living species:
* '' Chalcophora alternans'' (Abeille de Perrin, 1904)
* '' Chalcophora anachoreta'' Szallies, 1991
* '' Chalcophora angulicollis'' (LeCon ...
''
* ''
Chrysochroa''
* ''
Chrysodema
''Chrysodema'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheade ...
''
Laporte & Gory, 1835 (= ''Cyalithoides'')
* ''
Euchroma''
* ''
Halecia''
* ''
Lampetis
''Lampetis'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following species:
* '' Lampetis abbreviata'' (Lucas, 1859)
* '' Lampetis abdita'' (Kerremans, 1919)
* '' Lampetis achardi'' (Obenberger, 1928)
* '' Lampetis adonis'' ...
''
Dejean, 1833 – sometimes included in the
tribe Psilopterini, but actually not very close to ''Psiloptera'' (tentatively placed here)
* ''
Lampropepla''
* ''
Perotis''
* ''
Psiloptera'' (tentatively placed here)
Galbellinae
* ''
Galbella
''Galbella'' is an exclusively Old World genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family ar ...
''
Julodinae
* ''
Aaata''
* ''
Amblysterna''
* ''
Julodella''
* ''
Julodis''
* ''
Neojulodis''
* ''
Sternocera
''Sternocera'' is a genus of jewel beetles belonging to the Julodinae subfamily.
Characteristics
There are 26 species in this genus. Some species—''S. aequisignata'' and ''S. aurosignata''—are used for beetlewing craft because of th ...
''
Polycestinae
* ''
Acmaeodera
''Acmaeodera'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, a group of metallic wood-boring beetles favored by insect collectors. Whereas most beetles including most buprestids fly with their elytra held out and vibrating their hindwings ...
''
File:Jewel Beetle.JPG, Unidentified species from Pune (India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
)
File:Jewel beetle.jpg, Unidentified species from Swifts Creek ( Victoria, Australia)
File:Kerremans.Monographie.des.Buprestides.06.jpg, Buprestinae (center right and lower left), Julodinae (center) and Polycestinae (others) from Charles Kerremans
Charles Kerremans (1847- 10 October 1915, Brussels) was a Belgian entomologist who specialised in Coleoptera, especially Buprestidae and Cicindelidae.
He was a Member of the Société entomologique de France.
Publications
Partial list.
*1 ...
' '' Monographie des Buprestides''
File:Dicerca obscura.jpg, ''Dicerca obscura
''Dicerca obscura'' is a species of brownish-black coloured beetle from Chrysochroinae
Chrysochroinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae: the "jewel beetles".
Tribes and Genera
The following genera are included: Chrysochroi ...
'' (subfamilia Chrysochroinae), North America
File:Prachtkäfer aus der Grube Messel.JPG, Fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
jewel beetle from the Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...
, found in the Messel Pit (Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
)
File:Buprestidae pon vandu.jpg, ''Sternocera
''Sternocera'' is a genus of jewel beetles belonging to the Julodinae subfamily.
Characteristics
There are 26 species in this genus. Some species—''S. aequisignata'' and ''S. aurosignata''—are used for beetlewing craft because of th ...
'' sp., Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...
File:Jewel beetle (Chrysochroa fulminans), Mindanao, Philippines 08.jpg, '' Chrysochroa fulminans'' from Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of t ...
, Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
File:Boite Buprestidae Asie sud est GLAM muséum Lille 2016.JPG, Collection of Buprestidae from Southeast Asia in Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Lille
The Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Lille, or Lille Natural History Museum, was founded in 1822. It houses zoological and geological collections. Its holdings have recently been enhanced by ethnographic
Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' ...
References
Further reading
* (2002): Buprestidae. ''In:'' : ''
American Beetles
''American Beetles'' is the single most comprehensive description of the beetles of North America north of the tropical area of Mexico. It was started by Ross H. Arnett, Jr. as an update of his classic ''The Beetles of the United States''; alon ...
'' (Volume 2). CRC Press.
*Akiyama, K. and S. Ohmomo. 2000. ''The Buprestid Beetles of the World''. Iconographic Series of Insects 4. . A 341-page work with 120 colour plates.
External links
Jewel beetle site, with extensive lists of species and many photosFlickrImages
Impressive photos.
Jewel Beetle High Resolution Photography
Archived links
Images
Binomial Names
Images of types at NHM(London)
{{Authority control
Polyphaga families
Woodboring beetles
Insect pests of tropical forests
Taxa named by William Elford Leach