Buprestis haemorrhoidalis
Herbst, 1780
Buprestis haemorrhoidalis is a Palearctic jewel beetle ( Buprestidae) described by Herbst in 1780. The was erroneously reported as established in British Columbia, Canada, based on a misidentified specimen of the native North American species Buprestis subornata. This misidentification propagated through multiple literature sources before correction. The species remains native to Europe and Asia with no confirmed establishment in North America.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Buprestis haemorrhoidalis: /buˈprɛstɪs hɛˌmɔrɔɪˈdælɪs/
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Identification
Buprestis haemorrhoidalis can be distinguished from the superficially similar North American Buprestis subornata by its well-defined, serially punctate elytral intervals (B. subornata has poorly-defined, impunctate intervals) and smoother, shinier elytral surface. The two are placed in separate subgenera: B. haemorrhoidalis in Ancylocheira and B. subornata in Buprestis s. str.
Images
Distribution
Native to the Palearctic region (Europe and Asia). Erroneously reported from British Columbia, Canada based on misidentification; no confirmed establishment in North America.
Human Relevance
Subject of a documented case study on the importance of authoritative identification and voucher specimen verification when reporting . The erroneous record propagated through Humble & Allen (2006), Bousquet et al. (2013), and Ruzzier et al. (2023) before correction.
Similar Taxa
- Buprestis subornataSuperficially similar in appearance but differs in elytral interval punctation and surface texture; basis of misidentification leading to erroneous North American record
Misconceptions
The was incorrectly reported as established in British Columbia, Canada in 1992. The record originated from a specimen misidentified by A. Davies, was published without peer review in a non-entomology journal, and propagated through subsequent catalogues despite a corrected identification by R.L. Westcott in 2007. The specimen was later confirmed as Buprestis subornata.
More Details
Type of misidentification error
Initial misidentification of native B. subornata as B. haemorrhoidalis; failure to seek confirmation before publishing; lack of voucher specimen citation in original report; delayed database correction despite identification revision
Data sources
GBIF, Catalogue of Life, NCBI , iNaturalist; primary literature sources include Humble & Allen (2006), Bousquet et al. (2013), and corrective analysis by Ted C. MacRae (2024)