Jewel-beetle
Guides
Dicerca callosa frosti
Dicerca callosa frosti is a subspecies of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae. Originally described as Dicerca frosti by Nelson in 1963, it was later synonymized or treated as a subspecies of D. callosa. The species epithet "frosti" honors a collector, following common practice in buprestid taxonomy. Like other Dicerca species, it is a woodboring beetle with cryptic coloration that provides camouflage against bark.
Dicerca divaricata
Flat-headed Hardwood Borer
Dicerca divaricata is a medium-sized jewel beetle (family Buprestidae) native to eastern North America. Adults are black in color and measure 15–22 mm in length. The species is a wood-boring beetle whose larvae develop in the wood of various hardwood trees, particularly maples (Acer), American elm (Ulmus americana), and redbud (Cercis). Adults are active in late spring, with flight activity recorded in May and June. The species serves as a host for the parasitoid wasp Podoschistus vittifrons.
Dicerca hornii
Dicerca hornii is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, first described by Crotch in 1873. The species is native to North America and has been documented in association with Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany) in the Lake Tahoe region. Three subspecies are recognized: D. hornii ampliata, D. hornii hornii, and D. hornii nelsoni. Like other members of the genus Dicerca, this species exhibits cryptic coloration that provides effective camouflage against tree bark.
Dicerca hornii hornii
Dicerca hornii hornii is a subspecies of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae, native to western North America. The species is one of approximately two dozen buprestid beetles associated with Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany) in North America, with nine species confirmed as breeding within dead branches of this host plant genus. Like other members of the genus Dicerca, adults exhibit cryptic coloration that renders them nearly invisible against the bark of their host trees. The subspecies is part of a group of woodboring beetles that colonize dead or dying woody vegetation.
Dicerca hornii nelsoni
Dicerca hornii nelsoni is a subspecies of jewel beetle (family Buprestidae) described by Beer in 1974. It belongs to the genus Dicerca, a group of large, robust buprestids commonly known as flatheaded borers that develop in the wood of various trees and shrubs. The subspecies is part of the Dicerca hornii complex, which is associated with woody hosts in western North America. Like other members of the genus, adults are typically found on or near their host plants during the active season.
Dicerca lurida
Hickory Jewel Beetle
Dicerca lurida is a jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae, commonly known as the Hickory Jewel Beetle. Adults measure 12–20 mm and display cryptic coloration that renders them nearly invisible against tree bark despite their metallic luster when viewed as pinned specimens. The species is strongly associated with hickory trees (Carya spp.) and is one of the most common jewel beetles in eastern North America. Unlike most jewel beetles with restricted seasonal activity, D. lurida occurs year-round as adults, including winter hibernation under loose bark.
Dicerca obscura
A large jewel beetle (family Buprestidae) with brownish-black coloration and cryptic appearance. Adults are strongly associated with dead or dying persimmon trees (Diospyros virginiana), though also recorded from staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina). The species name reflects its remarkable ability to blend into bark, making it difficult to detect despite its size.
Dicerca pugionata
witch-hazel borer, ninebark borer
A striking jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae, measuring 11–14 mm in length. Unlike most Dicerca species that breed in dead wood, D. pugionata larvae mine living stems of woody shrubs. The species occurs sporadically across eastern North America but reaches locally abundant populations in Missouri glades where host plants grow under stressed conditions.
Dicerca sexualis
Dicerca sexualis is a Nearctic jewel beetle (family Buprestidae) described by Crotch in 1873. It belongs to a genus of woodboring beetles characterized by cryptic coloration that provides excellent camouflage against tree bark. Like other Dicerca species, adults are active year-round and are associated with dead or dying hardwood trees. The species is recorded from western North America, including British Columbia, Canada.
Dicerca tenebrica
Flat-headed Poplar Borer, Flatheaded Wood Borer
Dicerca tenebrica is a large jewel beetle (family Buprestidae) found in Canada and the northeastern and southern United States. Adults are brassy to black in coloration and active from March through November. The species is primarily associated with poplar species (Populus), particularly balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera), and has also been recorded from conifers in Alberta including lodgepole pine, jack pine, and white spruce. Larvae are wood-borers in living or recently dead trees.
Dicerca tenebrosa knulli
Dicerca tenebrosa knulli is a subspecies of jewel beetle (family Buprestidae) described by Nelson in 1975. As a member of the genus Dicerca, it belongs to a group of metallic wood-boring beetles that develop as larvae in dead or dying wood. The nominate subspecies Dicerca tenebrosa is known to associate with conifers across boreal and mountain regions of western North America. This subspecies is recognized from Alberta and British Columbia in Canada.
Eupristocerus
Eupristocerus is a monotypic genus of jewel beetles (family Buprestidae) containing the single species Eupristocerus cogitans. The genus is classified within the tribe Coraebini, a group of buprestids characterized by their association with woody host plants. Eupristocerus cogitans is notable as the only coraebine buprestid known from North America north of Mexico.
Eupristocerus cogitans
Alder Gall Buprestid
Eupristocerus cogitans is a jewel beetle (family Buprestidae) and the only North American representative of the coraebine buprestids. It is commonly known as the Alder Gall Buprestid due to its larval association with alder trees (Alnus spp.). The species has been recorded from eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
Gyascutus carolinensis
Gyascutus carolinensis is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It is distributed across Central America and North America, with records from the Nearctic and Neotropic biogeographic regions. The species is associated with juniper hosts, specifically Juniperus monosperma. Adults exhibit a distinctive greenish waxy bloom covering the body, which is thought to aid in camouflage among foliage.
Gyascutus dianae
Gyascutus dianae is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It occurs in Central America and North America. As a member of the genus Gyascutus, it belongs to a group of buprestid beetles known for their large size and often distinctive waxy bloom covering the elytra. The species was originally described as Hippomelas dianae by Helfer in 1954.
Gyascutus planicosta cribriceps
Gyascutus planicosta cribriceps is a subspecies of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae, native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is one of the larger buprestid beetles in North America and is known to occur on willow (Salix) as well as other host plants. The subspecies is part of a complex that was formerly treated as a subgenus of Hippomelas but is now recognized as the distinct genus Gyascutus. Adults are active during summer months and can be collected by beating host vegetation or observed in flight.
Hesperorhipis hyperbola
A small metallic wood-boring beetle in the tribe Xenorhipidini, distinguished by abbreviated elytra and pronounced sexual dimorphism in antennal structure. The species was described by Knull in 1938 and includes two recognized subspecies. Like other members of its tribe, males possess highly modified flabellate antennae while females retain unmodified serrate antennae.
Hesperorhipis jacumbae
Hesperorhipis jacumbae is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, described by Knull in 1954. It belongs to the tribe Xenorhipidini, a group notable for extreme sexual dimorphism in male antennae. Like other members of its genus, it possesses abbreviated elytra that expose much of the abdomen. The species is found in North America, specifically in the southwestern United States.
Hesperorhipis mirabilis
Hesperorhipis mirabilis is a small metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, tribe Xenorhipidini. It is one of four species in the genus Hesperorhipis, which is restricted to Arizona and California. The species is characterized by highly abbreviated elytra, particularly in males, and belongs to a tribe notable for extreme sexual dimorphism in antennal structure. Two subspecies are recognized: H. m. mirabilis and H. m. albopennis.
Hesperorhipis mirabilis albopennis
Hesperorhipis mirabilis albopennis is a subspecies of jewel beetle in the tribe Xenorhipidini, characterized by highly abbreviated elytra and sexually dimorphic antennae. Males possess extended flabellate antennae with olfactory sensillae, while females have unmodified serrate antennae. The subspecies was described by Knull in 1951 and occurs in western North America.
Hippomelas planicauda
Hippomelas planicauda is a large buprestid beetle (family Buprestidae) found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The species is associated with leguminous host plants, particularly Mimosa dysocarpa (velvetpod mimosa), on which adults are frequently collected by beating flowering branches. It occurs in desert scrub and canyon habitats of southeastern Arizona and adjacent regions, where it is often found in company with other large buprestids such as Hippomelas sphenicus and Gyascutus caelatus.
Lampetis cupreopunctata
Tamaulipan Copper-spotted Buprestid
A metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, characterized by copper-spotted coloration. Native to the Nearctic and Neotropical regions, with documented presence in Central America and North America. The common name references the Tamaulipan region, suggesting association with northeastern Mexico and adjacent areas.
Lampetis drummondi
Drummond's metallic wood-boring beetle
Lampetis drummondi is a large, metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, reaching up to 50 mm in length. Adults are brilliant blue-green in color with distinctive punctation patterns on the elytra. The species occurs in the desert southwest of North America and Central America. Adults are often found resting on small trees and shrubs, particularly persimmon (Diospyros texana) in western Texas, and are notably sluggish and easily captured by hand. The larval biology remained unknown until 2004, when larvae were discovered feeding in living willow (Salix gooddingii) wood at the soil line.
Lampetis webbii
Lampetis webbii is a large metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. Adults reach up to 50 mm in length and display brilliant blue-green coloration. The species is known from the desert southwest of North America, with records from Arizona, and is considerably rarer than its congener L. drummondii. Larval biology remains unknown, though related species in the genus develop in living wood below the soil line.
Leiopleura otero
Leiopleura otero is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, first described by Fisher in 1935. The species is known from the Caribbean Sea and North America. As a member of Buprestidae, it exhibits the characteristic metallic coloration typical of jewel beetles. Available information about this species is limited, with only a single observation recorded in iNaturalist.
Nanularia monoensis
Nanularia monoensis is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. Described by Charles L. Bellamy in 1987, it is known from a restricted area in the Benton Range of Mono County, California. The species is considered rare, with few documented observations.
Nanularia pygmaea
Nanularia pygmaea is a small metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. The species was described by Knull in 1941 and is known from North America. It belongs to the Nanularia genus group within the subfamily Chrysochroinae.
Octinodes amplicollis
Octinodes amplicollis is a species of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae. The species has been documented in the southwestern United States, with confirmed observations in Arizona. Adults have been collected from flowers of Isocoma tenuisecta and other yellow composite flowers in late summer. The species belongs to a genus of small to medium-sized buprestid beetles.
Pachyschelus fisheri
Pachyschelus fisheri is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It was described by Vogt in 1949. The species belongs to the tribe Trachyini, a group characterized by flattened, compact body forms and leaf-mining larval habits. Like other members of its genus, it is likely associated with herbaceous host plants. It is found in North America.
Pachyschelus purpureus uvaldei
Pachyschelus purpureus uvaldei is a subspecies of jewel beetle (family Buprestidae) described by Knull in 1941. Originally described as a distinct species (Pachyschelus uvaldei), it is now treated as a subspecies of the widespread P. purpureus. Adults are active in early spring and have been recorded feeding on wild geranium (Geranium maculatum). Like other members of the tribe Trachyini, larvae are leaf miners. The subspecies occurs in North America, with the type locality at Uvalde, Texas.
Pachyschelus schwarzi
Pachyschelus schwarzi is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It belongs to the tribe Trachyini, a group characterized by small, flattened, wedge-shaped adults with larvae that mine within leaves rather than boring through wood. The species is found in North America. Like other members of its genus, it is likely associated with herbaceous host plants, though specific details remain poorly documented.
Paragrilus rugatulus
Metallic Woodborer
Paragrilus rugatulus is a metallic wood-boring beetle (Buprestidae: Agrilinae) described by Thomson in 1879. It belongs to the P. rugatulus species group, one of three species groups recognized in the genus for North and Central America. The species occurs in the United States and extends into Central America. Members of its species group are associated with plants in the genus Sida (Malvaceae).
Paratyndaris chamaeleonis
Paratyndaris chamaeleonis is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. Originally described as Tyndaris chamaeleonis by Skinner in 1903, it was later transferred to the genus Paratyndaris. The species belongs to the subgenus Knulliella, one of three subgenera recognized in the genus. It is found in Central America and North America, though specific details about its biology and ecology remain limited in available sources.
Paratyndaris coursetiae
Paratyndaris coursetiae is a species of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae, subfamily Polycestinae. It was described by Fisher in 1919 and belongs to the subgenus Paratyndaris (Paratyndaris). The genus Paratyndaris is primarily distributed in southwestern North America and Mexico, with most species associated with woody host plants.
Paratyndaris knulli
Paratyndaris knulli is a small metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, placed in the subgenus Waltersia. It was originally described by Barr in 1972 and occurs in Central America and North America. The genus Paratyndaris is a largely southwestern and Mexican group of jewel beetles, with P. knulli being one of four species in its subgenus. Like other members of the genus, it is associated with dead woody vegetation.
Paratyndaris olneyae
Paratyndaris olneyae is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, originally described as Tyndaris olneyae by Skinner in 1903. It is classified in the subgenus Paratyndaris (Paratyndaris) within the genus Paratyndaris, a predominantly southwestern North American and Mexican group. The species occurs in Central America and North America, though specific details about its biology and host associations remain poorly documented in the available literature.
Paratyndaris tucsoni
Paratyndaris tucsoni is a species of jewel beetle (family Buprestidae) in the subfamily Polycestinae. It was described by Knull in 1938 and belongs to the subgenus Paratyndaris (Paratyndaris) Fisher. The genus Paratyndaris is a southwestern and Mexican group of beetles that are often poorly represented in collections. A 2004 revision by Nelson & Bellamy recognized three subgenera within Paratyndaris and provided comprehensive taxonomic treatment of the genus.
Phaenops
Phaenops is a genus of jewel beetles (Buprestidae) in the tribe Melanophilini. Species in this genus are primarily associated with coniferous trees, especially pines (Pinus spp.), and are closely related to the fire beetles of genus Melanophila. Unlike Melanophila, Phaenops lack the heat-sensing pores on the metathorax and do not exhibit fire-seeking behavior. The genus occurs across North America, with species documented from the southwestern United States to the Pacific Northwest and into Canada.
Phaenops californica
California Flat-Headed Borer
Phaenops californica is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, commonly known as the California flat-headed borer. The species was described by Van Dyke in 1918. It is found in Central America and North America, with distribution records including British Columbia, Canada. As a member of the genus Phaenops, it belongs to a group of jewel beetles associated with coniferous hosts.
Phaenops drummondi
flatheaded fir borer, Drummond's Flathead Fir Borer
Phaenops drummondi is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, commonly known as the flatheaded fir borer. The species was originally described as Buprestis drummondi by Kirby in 1837 and later transferred to the genus Phaenops. A nomenclatural revision in 2012 formally synonymized Melanophila drummondi ab. nicolayi under this species. It is distributed across North America, with confirmed records from Canada including Alberta, British Columbia, Labrador, and Manitoba.
Phaenops gentilis
Phaenops gentilis is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, known for its bright metallic green coloration. Adults are approximately 8 mm in length and are associated with pine forests, particularly ponderosa pine. The species has been documented exhibiting erratic running behavior when disturbed and is known to pause for grooming and egg-laying activities. It occurs in western North America including Colorado, Arizona, and British Columbia.
Phaenops lecontei
Phaenops lecontei is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. The genus Phaenops comprises species associated with coniferous trees, particularly pines. P. lecontei occurs in North America, with records from British Columbia, Canada and Alaska, United States. Like other members of its genus, it is presumed to develop in wood of Pinus species, though specific host associations for this species remain poorly documented.
Phlepsanus vanduzeei
Phlepsanus vanduzeei is a species of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae. It was originally described as Acmaeodera vanduzeei by Van Dyke and later transferred to the genus Phlepsanus. The species is associated with Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany) host plants in western North America. Like other members of the genus, it is a wood-boring beetle whose larvae develop within dead branches of its host plant.
Poecilonota bridwelli
Poecilonota bridwelli is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. The species was described by Van Dyke in 1918 and occurs in Central America and North America. It belongs to a genus whose members are primarily associated with Salicaceae (poplars and willows).
Poecilonota californica
western poplar buprestid
Poecilonota californica, commonly known as the western poplar buprestid, is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. The species was described by Chamberlin in 1922 and is endemic to North America. Like other members of the genus Poecilonota, this beetle exhibits the characteristic metallic coloration typical of jewel beetles.
Poecilonota cyanipes
eastern poplar buprestid, eastern poplar jewel beetle
Poecilonota cyanipes is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, commonly known as the eastern poplar buprestid or eastern poplar jewel beetle. The species is found throughout North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Adults are associated exclusively with Populus and Salix species, where larvae develop in dead or dying branches. The specific epithet 'cyanipes' refers to the blue coloration of the feet. Despite being described as the best-known and most commonly collected American species of Poecilonota, field encounters can be infrequent and unpredictable, with abundance varying significantly based on timing and host plant condition.
Poecilonota salixi
Poecilonota salixi is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, described by Chamberlin in 1925. It belongs to a genus whose members are primarily associated with willow (Salix) and poplar (Populus) hosts. The species occurs in Central America and North America, though specific details about its biology and appearance remain limited in available sources.
Polycesta aruensis
Desert-dwelling Polycesta
Polycesta aruensis is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle (family Buprestidae) in the subfamily Polycestinae. It is found in desert regions of southwestern North America and Central America. Adults have been observed on flowers and associated with partially dead trees, where they likely develop as larvae in the wood. The species exhibits synchronized emergence events that can produce temporary aggregations of adults.
Polycesta californica
Polycesta californica is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, first described by LeConte in 1857. It belongs to the subgenus Tularensia within the genus Polycesta. The species is native to western North America, with records from California and surrounding regions. As a member of the jewel beetle family, it exhibits the characteristic metallic coloration typical of Buprestidae.
Polycesta flavomaculata
Polycesta flavomaculata is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, first described by Nelson in 1960. The species is found in North America and belongs to the genus Polycesta, which comprises approximately 50 species distributed primarily in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Like other members of the Polycestinae subfamily, it exhibits the characteristic metallic coloration typical of jewel beetles.