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Other Beetle Families 

                                               

Dysentery Plant Jewel Beetle - Melobasis azureipennis 

(Melobasis (Melobasis) cyaneipennis)

Family Buprestidae

This page contains information and pictures about Dysentery Plant Jewel Beetles that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
 
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 very 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).   
 
PWC_8050.jpg (137627 bytes) PWC_8051.jpg (157763 bytes) PWC_8053.jpg (221420 bytes)
   
We could not identify the ID of this jewel beetle. Mark Hanlon sent us email and advised that : "the Melobasis you have pictured is Melobasis azureipennis. It’s host plant is the weed like plant you found it on called Grewia latifolia – common name Dysentery Plant. It is found from northern NSW to northern Queensland in coastal and near coastal (up to a few hundred km inland) areas." 
 
Here we would like to thank Mark Hanlon again.
 

Reference:
1. Melobasis (Melobasis) cyaneipennis Boheman, 1858 -  Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2008.
2. Jewel Beetles of Western Australia - K. Carnaby, Wilga WA, 1986, p58 (Melobasis species).
3. Grewia latifolia F.Muell. ex Benth - PlantNET, NEW SOUTH WALES FLORA ONLINE, 2008.
4. Beetles of South Australia, a guide to the Genera of, Part 4, E.G. Matthews, South Australia Museum, 1985, p5. 

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Up ] Variable Jewel Beetle ] Castiarina Jewel Beetle ] Variegate Jewel Beetle ] [ Dysentery Plant Jewel Beetle ] Blue Banksia Jewel Beetle ] Circle-dotted Jewel Beetle ] Marble Jewel Beetle ] Pea Flower Jewel Beetle ]

                                                

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Last updated: December 31, 2008.