Angiosperm-associates
Guides
Agrilus
jewel beetles, metallic woodboring beetles
Agrilus is a hyperdiverse genus of jewel beetles (Buprestidae) containing nearly 4,000 described species and potentially representing the largest genus in the animal kingdom. Species are primarily twig and branch borers, with larvae developing in recently dead wood, though notable exceptions attack living trees. The genus exhibits remarkable host specificity ranging from highly monophagous to oligophagous associations, exclusively with angiosperms—no species are known to utilize conifers. Adults are typically found on foliage of larval hosts rather than flowers, with sexual dimorphism occurring in some species.