Agrilus benjamini

Fisher, 1928

Agrilus benjamini is a metallic wood-boring beetle ( Buprestidae) described by Fisher in 1928. It belongs to a small group of Agrilus characterized by large size, black , and red pronotum with a densely pubescent channel. The species is found in North America and is considered much less common than the similar A. vittaticollis.

Agrilus benjamini by (c) Emily Franzen, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Emily Franzen. Used under a CC-BY license.

Identification

Distinguished from the similar A. audax by male genitalia: males of A. benjamini possess only an obsolete depression on the sternite, whereas A. audax males have a deep, smooth, elongate depression. The of A. benjamini is deeply depressed and pubescent only on the lower half, compared to the moderately depressed and uniformly pubescent frons of A. audax. Both are larger than the more common A. vittaticollis, which has a with sides bent downward to sharp points.

Images

Appearance

Large for the Agrilus. Black with red pronotum bearing a densely pubescent channel. Male sternite with only an obsolete depression (shallow and indistinct), in contrast to the deep, smooth, elongate depression seen in A. audax males. deeply depressed and pubescent only on lower half.

Distribution

North America

Similar Taxa

Agrilus audaxBoth share large size, black , and red pronotum with densely pubescent channel, but differ in male sternite depression depth and pattern.
Agrilus vittaticollisSimilar coloration pattern but more common; distinguished by with sides bent downward to sharp points and smaller size.

More Details

Taxonomic context

A. benjamini is part of a small group within the hyperdiverse Agrilus (containing nearly 4,000 described species), unified by large size and striking black-and-red coloration. The group includes A. audax, A. vittaticollis, and A. benjamini.