Chrysobothris fragariae

Fisher, 1930

Chrysobothris fragariae is a of jewel beetle in the Buprestidae, described by Fisher in 1930. It belongs to the Chrysobothris, one of the most diverse genera of North American buprestids. The species epithet "fragariae" suggests an association with Fragaria (strawberry), though this relationship has not been confirmed in the available literature. Like other members of its genus, it is presumed to be a wood-boring with larvae developing in dead or dying woody plants.

Chrysobothris fragariae by (c) David Anderson, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by David Anderson. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Chrysobothris fragariae: //kɹaɪsəˈbɒθrɪs frəˈɡɛəriˌiː//

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Images

Distribution

North America

Host Associations

Fragaria - suggested by epithet name implies association with strawberry, but this has not been documented in available sources

Similar Taxa

Chrysobothris femorata species-groupC. fragariae is listed among in the Chrysobothris section of Fisher's revision, which includes the taxonomically challenging C. femorata group; however, its precise placement within species-groups has not been established in available sources

More Details

Nomenclatural note

The epithet "fragariae" (genitive of Fragaria, the strawberry ) is unusual for a Chrysobothris species, as most members of this genus are associated with woody plants rather than herbaceous species. This may represent a misidentification of material, a temporary or incidental feeding record, or potentially an error in the original description. No confirmed host records for this species were found in the extensive literature reviewed by MacRae and colleagues.

Collection context

C. fragariae appears in the T.C. MacRae Collection inventory as one of 595 Nearctic Chrysobothris , indicating it is part of the documented North American fauna but is among the rarer or less frequently collected species in collections.