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Jewel Beetle

Unknown Beetle
Location: Big Bend National Park, Texas
October 8, 2011 12:22 pm
Hi!
Thanks for ID-ing those Bordered Plant Bug nymphs for me. Got another one for you…
I’m pretty sure this one is a beetle He was feeding on this Aster, not sure what species.
Signature: JB

Jewel Beetle

Hi JB,
This is one of the Metallic Borer Beetles in the family Buprestidae, a group commonly called Jewel Beetles because of the bright colors of the elytra. Jewel Beetles have been used in jewelry and in Victorian art. We believe we have narrowed your individual down to a member of the genus Acmaeodera which is represented on BugGuide by about 80 different species, many of which look very much like one another and like your individual. BugGuide also notes: “144 spp. in our area (4), great many more in the Old World.” We believe we have narrowed the possibilities down to two likely species, but we cannot be certain as we do not have the area of specificity nor do we have any entomological credentials. BugGuide has several photos of Acmaeodera amplicollis, including some with beetles feeding on very similar flowers, and they are reported from Arizona and New Mexico. Another possibility represented on BugGuide is Acmaeodera decipiens which is also reported from Arizona and New Mexico. The similar looking Acmaeodera diffusa is reported on BugGuide from Colorado and Utah.

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¶ Posted 09 October 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Golden Buprestid photo wins Blue Ribbon at Canadian County Fair

Golden Buprestid photo
Location: Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada
September 15, 2011 2:24 am
We always called these Junebugs but, thanks to you, my photo has been renamed. I was so busy trying to get as close as possible without disturbing the beetle that I didn’t even notice the ant until I edited. I was lucky enough to get a blue ribbon at the local fall fair with the shot.
Signature: BeeCee

Golden Buprestid

Congratulations BeeCee,
You should be proud of your award winning photograph and we are honored to be posting it to our website. Upon examining the beautiful detail evident in your photo, it is easy to understand why the Golden Buprestid belongs to the family commonly called Jewel Beetles. The Golden Buprestid may hold the record for the insect with the longest lifespan because of delayed metamorphosis that occasionally occurs with the wood boring larvae. Several years ago we posted a photo of a Golden Buprestid that allegedly emerged from a cutting board after 8 years. You can read the full account here. After we made that posting, Eric Eaton provided this comment: “The record age for one is an adult that emerged from a baseboard(?) in a Canadian building fully 51 years after the building was erected! Why milled lumber forces such an extended life cycle in woodborers is a mystery, at least as far as I know. Normally, the life cycle would be no more than 2-5 years.”

¶ Posted 15 September 2011 § ‡ Comments (1) °

Jewel Beetle: possibly Buprestis gibbsii

Metallic beetle (?)
Location: Gold Run, CA
August 28, 2011 7:32 pm
My husband thinks this is a bottlefly, but I told him I think only beetles have a carapace over the wings. Help!!! Bright metallic green abdomen, striped blue/green, yellow and red metallic carapace. Head missing, found in Sierra Nevada mountains north of Auburn, CA. THANKS AGAIN BUGMAN!
Signature: WBarker

Jewel Beetle: Buprestis gibbsii

Dear WBarker,
This is one of the Metallic Borer Beetles in the family Buprestidae. Some members of the family have bright metallic coloration leading to the common name Jewel Beetles. We believe we have identified your species as Buprestis gibbsii based on a few photos posted to BugGuide.

¶ Posted 29 August 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Metallic Wood Boring Beetle: Genus Dicerca possibly

Metallic Wood Boring Beetle?
Location: Pleasant Grove, UT
August 15, 2011 7:48 pm
Hello,
A friend and I found this beetle early June on a dying Aspen. I’ve never seen a beetle like this before, especially since it was very eye-catching. It was metallic gold, as if covered in glitter (the photos don’t do a justice to the sheen). My best guess was that it was in the genus Chalcophora, but it doesn’t quite look like a Sculptured Pine Borer to me.
Signature: Dave

Flatheaded Poplar Borer, maybe

Hi Dave,
You are correct that this is a Metallic Wood Boring Beetle, sometimes called a Jewel Beetle because of its gemlike qualities, but we disagree with your genus identification. Because of the bifurcated ends of the elytra or wing covers, we believe this beetle is in the genus Dicerca.

dicerca utah dave 2 300x240 Metallic Wood Boring Beetle: Genus Dicerca possibly

Flathead Poplar Borer, perhaps

You indicate that you found it on a dying poplar tree, which is strong evidence that it might be a Flathead Poplar Borer, Dicerca tenebrica, which according to Bugguide has the following food preferences: “Larvae in bigtooth aspen – Populus grandidentata Adults on other Populus spp.”

dicerca utah dave 3 300x182 Metallic Wood Boring Beetle: Genus Dicerca possibly

Flathead Poplar Borer, we believe

add Metallic Wood Boring Beetle: Genus Dicerca possibly

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¶ Posted 15 August 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Sculptured Pine Borer

Unknown Bug Found In Maine
Location: Brewer, Maine
July 17, 2011 9:54 pm
I searched for the identity of this bug but came up empty. I found it at a local park under a Maple tree in Brewer, Maine on Monday July 6th. I have not seen one like this & have lived in Maine for over 38 yrs. After asking several people, no one seems to know what it is at all. Could you please help? Thank you in advance!
Signature: Amy

Sculptured Pine Borer

Hi Amy,
This is one of the Pine Borers in the genus Chalcophora. The species with the most northern range is Chalcophora fortis, which may be seen on BugGuide, though it might also be the Sculptured Pine Borer, Chalcophora virginiensis, which is probably the most common member of the genus and which is also profiled on Bugguide.

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¶ Posted 18 July 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Metallic Borer Beetle

Drab beetle with metallic abdomen
Location: 20 Mill Street Extension, Newington, CT 06111
July 13, 2011 11:16 am
I photographed it on July 11. It was about 1 inch long, rather drab brown with a few spots on the wingcases. But when I scared it, it would flicker open the wingcases to reveal a metallic bluish green abdomen. It flew away when I photographed it.
Signature: Chris Dubey

Metallic Borer Beetle

Hi Chris,
This is a Metallic Borer Beetle in the family Buprestidae, and its drab coloration and metallic green abdomen identify as a member of the genus Chrysobothris.

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¶ Posted 13 July 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Western Sculptured Pine Borer

What is this bug???
Location: Seabeck, WA
July 4, 2011 10:18 pm
My sister found this really neat looking bug on one of the outside plants. Looks like it could be some type of beetle. I liked the way it sounded as it flew away.
Signature: Manda G.

Western Sculptured Pine Borer

Hi Manda,
This is a Sculptured Pine Borer in the genus Chalcophora, and based on your location, it is the Western Sculptured Pine Borer, Chalcophora angulicollis, the only species that BugGuide has recorded in the Pacific Northwest. According to BugGuide: “Eggs are laid on bark of large branches or trunks of conifers, especially fir (Abies), or western yellow pine (Ponderosa Pine, Pinus ponderosa). Larvae hatch and cut through to inner bark, where they form tunnels.” BugGuide also indicates that they fly noisily when alarmed, much as your letter indicates. Many members of the family it belongs to Buprestidae, have iridescent or metallic coloration which has led to the common name Jewel Beetles.

Western Sculptured Pine Borer

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¶ Posted 05 July 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Metallic Borer Beetle, we believe, but what species????

Please identify
Location: Central Mississippi
June 20, 2011 10:05 am
We have some bugs that come into our enclosed garage and apparently get over on their backs and can’t get up. Some are dead, some are wiggling. They have shiny gold bottom-sides but under their wings, they are blue-colored. There are several each day. Can you identify? Photos taken after dead. Can provide more in another day.
Signature: wbl

Metallic Borer Beetle we believe

Dear wbl,
We wish the quality of your photo was better. Higher resolution woul allow us to view the details more closely. We believe this is a Metallic Borer Beetle in the family Buprestidae, but we are uncertain of the species. We will contact Eric Eaton to see if he can provide additional information.

Eric Eaton provides a genus
Hi, Daniel:
You are correct, it is a buprestid. Genus is Chrysobothris but species identification requires dissection of the genitalia. Most Chrysobothris have the brilliant metallic blue or green abdomens that are exposed only in flight.
Eric