''Euchroma giganteum'', the Metallic Wood Boring Beetle or Giant Metallic Ceiba Borer, is a species 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 ...

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 flatheaded borers. The family is among the largest of the beetles, with some ...

, the only species in the genus ''Euchroma''.

Subspecies

*''Euchroma giganteum giganteum'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...

) *''Euchroma giganteum goliath'' ( Laporte & Gory, 1836) *''Euchroma giganteum harperi''

Sharp Sharp or SHARP may refer to: Acronyms * SHARP (helmet ratings) (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme), a British motorcycle helmet safety rating scheme * Self Help Addiction Recovery Program, a charitable organisation founded in 19 ...

, 1881 *''Euchroma giganteum incum'' Obenberger, 1928 *''Euchroma giganteum peruanum'' Obenberger, 1928 Moura, R.C., Melo, N.F. and Souza, M.J. (2008) High levels of chromosomal differentiation in Euchroma gigantea L. 1735 (Coleoptera, Buprestidae). Genetics and Molecular Biology, 31(2): 431-437

Description

''Euchroma giganteum'' is one of the largest of the buprestid beetles (hence the Latin name "giganteum" of the species), reaching a length of about . ''

Catoxantha ''Catoxantha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, ranging from northeast India through Southeast Asia. The genus contains the following species: * ''Catoxantha bonvouloirii'' Deyrolle, 1861 * ''Catoxantha eburnea'' Janson, 1874 * ...

'' and ''

Megaloxantha ''Megaloxantha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following species: * ''Megaloxantha bicolor'' (Fabricius, 1775) * ''Megaloxantha concolor'' (Kurosawa, 1978) * ''Megaloxantha daleni'' (van der Hoeven, 1838) * ''M ...

'' are among the few other members of the family that reach a comparable size.Entomologi Italiani
/ref> The body of ''E. giganteum'' is robust and elongated and the

elytra An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alterna ...

have a wrinkled surface and a metallic green colour with reddish or purplish tinges. The

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ea ...

has a dark spot on each side.Hogue, C.L. (1993) Latin American Insects and Entomology. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, California The larvae reach a length of about . The elytra of newly emerged adults have a coating of a yellowish, waxy powder. As the beetle ages this powder wear off.

Behavior

The males apparently attract the females by a clicking sound produced by the elytra. This species usually mates in August.M. Louise Nichols
- The Spermatogenesis of Euchroma Gigantea
/ref> The larvae are miners of fallen timber, while adults are usually found walking around on the trunks of trees.

Diet

Larvae feed on decaying timber, especially of the

Bombacaceae Bombacaceae were long recognised as a family of flowering plants or Angiospermae. The family name was based on the type genus ''Bombax''. As is true for many botanical names, circumscription and status of the taxon has varied with taxonomic point ...

family (kapok or ceiba trees, mainly ''

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety ''C. pentandr ...

'', ''

Bombacopsis ''Pachira'' is a genus of tropical trees distributed in Central and South America, Africa and India. They are classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the family Malvaceae. Previously the genus was assigned to Bombacaceae. Prior to that the g ...

'' spp., ''

Ochroma ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...

'' spp. and ''

Pseudobombax ''Pseudobombax'' is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the family Malvaceae. The genus ranges across tropical South America, Central America, Mexico, Cuba, Hispaniola, and the Windward Islands."''Pseudobombax'' Dugand". ...

'' spp.), but also of ''

Araucaria angustifolia ''Araucaria angustifolia'', the Paraná pine, Brazilian pine or candelabra tree (, or ), is a critically endangered species in the conifer genus '' Araucaria''. Although the common names in various languages refer to the species as a "pine", it d ...

'' and ''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...

'' species.

Distribution and habitat

This species is native to Central and South America (

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

y Venezuela (Guarenas-Naranjal)). It lives in warm Amazon regions up to elevations of above sea level.

Gallery

File: Buprestidae - Euchroma gigantea.jpg, ''Euchroma gigantea'' from Brazil, mounted specimen at

National Museum (Prague) The National Museum (NM) (Czech: ''Národní muzeum'') is a Czech museum institution intended to systematically establish, prepare, and publicly exhibit natural scientific and historical collections. It was founded in 1818 by Kašpar Maria Štern ...

File:Euchroma gigantea 2.jpg, ''Euchroma gigantea'' from Sammlung Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Karlsruhe File:Euchroma gigantea.jpg, A live individual of ''Euchroma gigantea'' File:Unknown_Amazon_Beetle.JPG, Live specimen in Peru, on human hand

References

External links

God of insects

Buprestidae Beetles described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Buprestidae-stub