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Jewel Beetles - Family Buprestidae
- This page contains information and pictures about Jewel Beetles that we
found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
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 - Jewel Beetles are active in hot weather and will readily fly in
sunlight.
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- Jewel Beetles can normally be seen feeding nectar on flowers in bush during
a sunny day. Some Jewel Beetles are leaves feeder. They ranged from very small
to very large size. Their body is elongated and flattened. They are brightly
coloured and often have a metallic sheen which make their common name Jewel
Beetles. They are active and ready to fly during daytime.
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- Most species of Jewel Beetle larvae live in wood, although some of them
live in root and a few are leave miner. Most of them have very long life
cycle.
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Subfamily Buprestinae
- Variable Jewel Beetle
 - Temognatha variabilis (Themognatha variabilis ),
Stigmoderini, Stigmoderina, body length
35mm
- We found this beetle in Karawatha Forest on She-oak trees. This is the largest beetle we ever saw.
This Jewel Beetle is very colourful and the colours are highly variable. They
can be yellow to dark red. Some individuals may have red/yellow/green patterns
on wing-covers. We have detail information and many pictures in this page.
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- Castiarina Jewel Beetle
I
 - Castiarina sexplagiata, Stigmoderini, Stigmoderina, body length 12mm
- In
Alexandra Hill during early summer, we found a lot of those orange-black Jewel
Beetle feeding on white flowers of tea tree Leptospermum. The patterns
on each beetle are slightly different. Their colours also vary from yellow to
orange. Please check this page for more information.
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- Castiarina Jewel Beetle II
 - Castiarina sexplagiata and Castiarina
decemmaculata,
Stigmoderini, Stigmoderina, body length 12mm
- Reference:
- 1. Castiarina decemmaculata (Kirby, 1818)
- Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2001.
- 2. Specimen
Image Index - Insect Reference Collection Database - ICDB,
Western Australian Department of Agriculture, 2006.
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- Variegate Jewel Beetle
  - Castiarina variegata, subfamily Buprestinae,
Stigmoderini, Stigmoderina, body length 12mm
- On Oct 2004 in White Hill, we found this Jewel Beetle alone on a young gum
tree. Check this page for more
information.
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- Dysentery Plant Jewel Beetle
 - Melobasis azureipennis (Melobasis (Melobasis) cyaneipennis),
Melobasini, Melobasina, body length 10mm
- This small Jewel Beetle has the metallic blue wing-covers, golden green
thorax and metallic black head. Its wing-covers have the saw-toothed edge,
which is a unique feature among jewel beetles. We found this beetle once
in Daisy Hill near Buhot Creek on mid summer Dec 2008. It was resting on
leaves on the top of a short weed plant (correction: this plant is not a
weed). More information and pictures please click on here.
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- Blue Banksia Jewel Beetle
- Cyrioides australis (Cyria australis), Epistomentini, Epistomentina,
body length 30mm
- The jewel beetle is dark blue in colour. Its thorax and wing-covers is smooth and shiny. It has a pair of large eyes. Its head, abdomen and legs are the same dark blue colours but covered with short white hairs.
Please check this page for more information.
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Subfamily Agrilinae
- Circle-dotted Jewel Beetle
  - Cisseis albosparsa,
Coraebini, Cisseina, body length 12mm
- This small Jewel Beetle can easily be found on young Acacia trees in
Alexandra Hill during mid summer. When disturbed, they dropped and flied away.
The beetle was metallic dark brown to dark green in colour with eight white dots forming a circle
on its back. Please check this page
for more information.
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- Marble Jewel Beetle
 - Cisseis latipennis, Coraebini, Cisseina, body length 12mm
- We found this jewel beetle once on a large Acacia tree trunk near
Bulimba Creek on Mar 2008. The beetle was slowly climbing up the tree. More
information and photos can be found in this page.
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- Pea Flower Jewel Beetle
 - Ethonion sp. (? E. reichei), Coraebini,
Ethoniina, body length 12mm
- Found it jewel beetle in Daisy Hill on early summer Sep 2008. It was resting on
yellow flowers of Wallum Wedge Pea (Gompholobium virgatum). Please
check this page for more information.
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- Small Black Jewel Beetle
- ? sp. body length 10mm
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The Adult's Food Plant
- Tea-tree
- Leptospermum sp., Family Myrtaceae
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- Jewel Beetles like to feed on Tea-tree flowers. Wherever there is the
blooming Tea-tree flowers, get closer to have a look. You may find different
species of Jewel Beetles feeding on them.
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- Here we would like to thank Mark Hanlon for sending us email on the
IDs of the jewel beetles and correcting some of our errors on this page.
- Reference and Link:
- 1. Allen Sundholm's Buprestidae Home Page
(We also like to thank Allen Sundholm advised some of the Jewel Beetles'
ID in the page.)
- 2. Insects
of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University
Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 632.
- 3. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus
& Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p216.
- 4. Jewel Beetles of Western Australia - K. Carnaby, Wilga
WA, 1986.
- 5. BUPRESTIDAE Leach, 1815 - Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts,
2001.
- 6. Beetles of South Australia, a guide to the Genera of, Part 4,
E.G. Matthews, South Australia Museum, 1985.
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