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Buprestidae is a
family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
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 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 the appropriate s ...
known in 775
genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
. 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 entomol ...
s. 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 ...
of some Buprestidae species have been traditionally used in
beetlewing Beetlewing, or beetlewing art, is an ancient craft technique using iridescent beetle wings practiced traditionally in Thailand, Myanmar, India, China and Japan. Notable beetlewing garments include Lady Curzon's peacock dress (1903) and a ...
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 ''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 * ...
'', '' Chrysaspis'', ''
Euchroma ''Euchroma'' 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. The ...
'' 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 ...
'' contain the largest species. A variety of bright colors are known, often in complicated patterns. The
iridescence 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 ...
common to these beetles is not due to pigments in the
exoskeleton An exoskeleton (from Greek ''éxō'' "outer" and ''skeletós'' "skeleton") is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to an internal skeleton (endoskeleton) in for example, a human. In usage, some of the ...
, but instead is caused by
structural coloration Structural coloration in animals, and a few plants, is the production of colour by microscopically structured surfaces fine enough to interfere with visible light instead of pigments, although some structural coloration occurs in combination wi ...
, 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 media, 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 rele ...
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. The ...
e bore through roots, logs, stems, and leaves of various types of plants, ranging from
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s to
grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
es. 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 The emerald ash borer (''Agrilus planipennis''), also known by the acronym EAB, is a green buprestid or jewel beetle native to north-eastern Asia that feeds on ash species. Females lay eggs in bark crevices on ash trees, and larvae feed undern ...
. 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 Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
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 around ...
light, helping them to zero in as they get closer to a
forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...
. 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 subfami ...
and fir, 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. The ...
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 Agrilinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following genera: * '' Aaaaba'' Bellamy, 2013 * '' Afrocylindromorphus'' Bily & Bellamy, 1998 * '' Agrilochyseus'' Thery, 1935 * '' Agrilodia'' Obenberger, 1923 * '' A ...
– cosmopolitan, with most taxa occurring in the Northern Hemisphere * ''
Agrilus ''Agrilus'' is a genus of jewel beetles, notable for having the largest number of species (about 3000) of any single genus in the animal kingdom. '' Agrilus aureus'' Species * '' Agrilus abantiades'' Descarp ...
''
Curtis Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' ( Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Ga ...
, 1825
* ''
Anodontodora ''Anodontodora'' 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. T ...
'' Obenberger, 1931 * ''
Asymades ''Asymades'' 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. The C ...
'' Kerremans, 1893 * ''
Brachys ''Brachys'' 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 are kn ...
'' Dejean, 1833 * '' Chalcophlocteis'' Obenberger, 1924 * ''
Discoderoides ''Discoderoides'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following species: * ''Discoderoides abessynicus'' (Jan Obenberger, Obenberger, 1931) * ''Discoderoides africanus'' (Charles Kerremans, Kerremans, 1907) * ''Discod ...
'' Théry, 1936 * '' Entomogaster''
Saunders Saunders is a surname of English and Scottish patronymic origin derived from Sander, a mediaeval form of Alexander.See also: Sander (name) People * Ab Saunders (1851–1883), American cowboy and gunman * Al Saunders (born 1947), American footb ...
, 1871
* '' Ethiopoeus'' Bellamy, 2008 * '' Madecorformica'' Bellamy, 2008 * ''
Meliboeus ''Meliboeus'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, the jewel beetles. They are distributed throughout the Palearctic realm, Palearctic, Afrotropical realm, Afrotropical, and Indomalayan realms. As of 2008, there were 227 species. Sp ...
''
Deyrolle During the 20th century, Deyrolle was a Parisian institution for natural sciences and pedagogy. It is one of the best known companies of entomology and taxidermy of Paris. Today, Deyrolle is a shop and a cabinet of curiosities open to the public, ...
, 1864
* '' Pachyschelus'' Solier, 1833 * '' Paracylindromorphus'' Thery, 1930 * ''
Paradorella ''Paradorella'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, the jewel beetles. They are native to Africa. Species include: Species * ''Paradorella capensis'' (Charles Kerremans, Kerremans, 1903) * ''Paradorella natalensis'' Bellamy, 2008Be ...
'' Obenberger, 1923 * '' Pseudokerremansia'' Bellamy & Holm, 1985 * '' Strandietta'' Obenberger, 1931 *†'' Burmagrilus'' Jiang et al. 2021
Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...
, Myanmar,
Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the s ...
Buprestinae Buprestinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following genera in the tribes Anthaxiini, Buprestini, Chrysobothrini, Melanophilini, and Xenorhipidini: * ''Actenodes'' Dejean, 1833 * '' Afagrilaxia'' Bily & ...
– cosmopolitan * ''
Agrilozodes ''Agrilozodes'' 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 flatheaded ...
'' 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. He was one of the earliest scientific explorers of the Pacific region, making significant colle ...
, 1829
* '' Bubastoides'' * '' Buprestis'' * '' Calodema'' – found only in Australia and New Guinea; usually in rain forests * '' Castiarina'' – about 500 species, found only in Australia and New Guinea, previously considered a
subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...
of ''Stigmodera'' * '' Chrysobothris'' * '' Colobogaster'' * ''
Conognatha ''Conognatha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, tribe Stigmoderini, containing the following species: They are found in the Neotropical realm The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth ...
'' * ''
Eurythyrea ''Eurythyrea'' 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 ...
'' * '' Hiperantha'' * '' Metaxymorpha'' – found only in Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia; usually in rain forests * ''
Stigmodera ''Stigmodera'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, the jewel beetles. It is a large genus that some authors divide into three separate genera. Others keep them together, making ''Stigmodera'' a genus of some 550 species. Most are na ...
'' – 7 species remain here * '' Temognatha'' – About 83-85 species, found only in Australia and New Guinea, previously considered a subgenus of ''Stigmodera''
Chrysochroinae Chrysochroinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae: the "jewel beetles". Tribes and Genera The following genera are included: Chrysochroini Auth.: Laporte de Castelnau, 1835; synonyms: Chalcophorellini Tôyama, 1986, Chalcopho ...
* '' Capnodis'' * '' Chalcophora'' * ''
Chrysochroa ''Chrysochroa'' is a genus of "jewel" or metallic wood-boring beetles, typical of the tribe Chrysochroini. Most of the many species are native to Southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. However, a good number ...
'' * '' Chrysodema'' Laporte & Gory, 1835 (= ''Cyalithoides'') * ''
Euchroma ''Euchroma'' 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. The ...
'' * ''
Halecia ''Halecia'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following species: * ''Halecia acutipennis'' (Laporte & Gory, 1837) * ''Halecia allecto'' Obenberger, 1958 * ''Halecia angulosa'' (Chevrolat, 1838) * ''Halecia angustiv ...
'' * '' Lampetis'' Dejean, 1833 – sometimes included in the
tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...
Psilopterini, but actually not very close to ''Psiloptera'' (tentatively placed here) * '' Lampropepla'' * '' Perotis'' * ''
Psiloptera ''Psiloptera'' 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 ...
'' (tentatively placed here)
Galbellinae ''Galbella'' is an exclusively Old World 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 ...
* '' Galbella''
Julodinae Julodinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following genera: * '' Aaata'' Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1906 * '' Amblysterna'' Saunders, 1871 * '' Julodella'' Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1871 * ''Julodis ''Julodis'' ...
* ''
Aaata ''Aaata'' is a genus of beetles belonging to the family Buprestidae, containing the single species ''Aaata finchi''. It is found in Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a histo ...
'' * ''
Amblysterna ''Amblysterna'' 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. T ...
'' * ''
Julodella ''Julodella'' 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. The ...
'' * ''
Julodis ''Julodis'' 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 flatheaded bo ...
'' * ''
Neojulodis ''Neojulodis'' 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 ...
'' * '' Sternocera''
Polycestinae Polycestinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae: known as "jewel beetles". Tribes and Genera The following genera are included: Acmaeoderini Authority: Kerremans, 1893 ;subtribe Acmaeoderina Kerremans, 1893 * '' Acmaeodera'' ...
* '' Acmaeodera'' File:Jewel Beetle.JPG, Unidentified species from
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
(
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 so ...
) File:Jewel beetle.jpg, Unidentified species from Swifts Creek (
Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Au ...
) File:Kerremans.Monographie.des.Buprestides.06.jpg,
Buprestinae Buprestinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following genera in the tribes Anthaxiini, Buprestini, Chrysobothrini, Melanophilini, and Xenorhipidini: * ''Actenodes'' Dejean, 1833 * '' Afagrilaxia'' Bily & ...
(center right and lower left),
Julodinae Julodinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following genera: * '' Aaata'' Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1906 * '' Amblysterna'' Saunders, 1871 * '' Julodella'' Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1871 * ''Julodis ''Julodis'' ...
(center) and
Polycestinae Polycestinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae: known as "jewel beetles". Tribes and Genera The following genera are included: Acmaeoderini Authority: Kerremans, 1893 ;subtribe Acmaeoderina Kerremans, 1893 * '' Acmaeodera'' ...
(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. *18 ...
' '' Monographie des Buprestides'' File:Dicerca obscura.jpg, '' Dicerca obscura'' (subfamilia
Chrysochroinae Chrysochroinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae: the "jewel beetles". Tribes and Genera The following genera are included: Chrysochroini Auth.: Laporte de Castelnau, 1835; synonyms: Chalcophorellini Tôyama, 1986, Chalcopho ...
), 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 (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
, found in the
Messel Pit The Messel pit (german: Grube Messel) is a disused quarry near the village of Messel (Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hesse) about southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of well-preserved ...
(
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
) File:Buprestidae pon vandu.jpg, '' Sternocera'' sp.,
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
File:Jewel beetle (Chrysochroa fulminans), Mindanao, Philippines 08.jpg, ''
Chrysochroa fulminans '' Chrysochroa fulminans'' is the type species of jewel beetle in its genus; it belongs to the family Buprestidae, tribe Chrysochroini and subgenus ''Chrysochroa''.
'' 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 ...
,
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


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''; along ...
'' (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 photos

Flickr
Images

Impressive photos.




Jewel Beetle High Resolution Photography


Archived links









Images
Binomial Names In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

Images of types at NHM(London)


{{Authority control Polyphaga families Woodboring beetles Insect pests of tropical forests Taxa named by William Elford Leach