Melanophila atropurpurea

(Say, 1823)

Melanophila atropurpurea is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the Buprestidae. The is distributed across Central America and North America. Like other members of the Melanophila, it is likely attracted to fire and smoke, though species-specific behavioral details for M. atropurpurea remain poorly documented.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Melanophila atropurpurea: /mɛˌlænoʊˈfaɪlə ˌætroʊˌpɝːˈpjʊriə/

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Distribution

Central America and North America. Specific country records are not well documented in available sources.

More Details

Genus-level traits

Members of the Melanophila possess specialized infrared-sensing pits on the that detect heat from forest fires. These beetles are known to fly to smoldering or burning wood to lay in fire-damaged trees. However, it is not confirmed whether M. atropurpurea exhibits this with the same intensity as better-studied such as M. consputa or M. acuminata.

Sources and further reading