Brachys-cephalicus

Guides

• Brachys

  Leaf-mining jewel beetles

  Brachys is a genus of small metallic wood-boring beetles in the family Buprestidae, tribe Trachyini. The genus contains at least 140 described species distributed primarily in North America, with some species in Central and South America. Adults are characterized by their flattened, compact, wedge-shaped morphology—distinctly different from the more typical elongate, cylindrical form of most jewel beetles. This body plan reflects their unique larval habit of mining within leaves of host plants rather than boring through wood. The genus is strongly associated with oaks (Quercus) and other hardwoods, though some species utilize diverse host plant families.

  BuprestidaeAgrilinaeTrachyinileaf-mineroak-associatejewel-beetlemetallic-wood-boring-beetlehardwood-forestphenologyNorth-AmericaSouth-AmericaCerradoQuercusBrachys-ovatusBrachys-aerosusBrachys-aeruginosusBrachys-querciBrachys-cephalicusBrachys-floccosusBrachys-barberiBrachys-rileyiBrachys-apacheiBrachys-cleidecostaeBrachys-tessellatus