Agrilus bespencus

Barr, 2008

Agrilus bespencus is a of metallic wood-boring beetle in the Buprestidae. It was described by Barr in 2008 from Texas. As a member of the hyperdiverse Agrilus, it belongs to one of the largest genera in the animal kingdom. The species is known only from its original taxonomic description, with minimal biological or ecological data available.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Agrilus bespencus: /ˈæɡrɪləs bɛˈspɛŋkəs/

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Identification

Agrilus bespencus can be distinguished from other Agrilus by characteristics described in the original species description (Barr 2008). As with most Agrilus species, definitive identification typically requires examination of male genitalia. The species was described from Texas, which may help distinguish it from geographically restricted .

Distribution

Texas, United States. The is known only from its type locality in Texas.

Similar Taxa

Agrilus pubescensAgrilus bespencus was described in the same paper that proposed A. pubescens Fisher 1928 as a senior synonym of A. parapubescens Knull 1934, indicating taxonomic relationships among these were under consideration
Other Agrilus species in TexasThe Agrilus contains nearly 4,000 described worldwide, with many occurring in North America; most are small, metallic wood-boring beetles with similar general , requiring careful examination for identification

More Details

Taxonomic context

Agrilus bespencus was described in a 2008 Zootaxa paper that also described A. montosae from Arizona and proposed a new synonymy in the . The paper focused on taxonomic description rather than biological documentation.

Data limitations

Only 2 observations of this are recorded in iNaturalist as of the knowledge cutoff. The species appears to be rarely encountered or underreported, consistent with the general pattern for many Agrilus species which are small, seasonally active, and require specialized collecting techniques to detect.