Trachyini
Guides
Brachyina
Brachyina is a subtribe within the tribe Trachyini (family Buprestidae), established by Cobos in 1979. The subtribe includes small to minute metallic wood-boring beetles, with Taphrocerus being the primary genus in North America. Members are characterized by their compact body form and association with herbaceous or woody vegetation. The group is taxonomically stable but relatively understudied compared to other buprestid lineages.
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-tessellatusBrachys aerosus
Northern Red Oak Jewel Beetle
Brachys aerosus is a small metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, tribe Trachyini. Adults measure 3–5 mm in length and exhibit highly variable coloration, with the basal region of the elytra typically showing purple, blue, or green luster and the apical area covered in gold to bronze pubescence. The species is commonly associated with hardwood trees, particularly oaks and elms, though its broad host range and morphological variability suggest it may represent a cryptic species complex. Larvae are leaf miners rather than wood borers, a distinctive trait of the tribe Trachyini.
Brachys fasciferus
Brachys fasciferus is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, tribe Trachyini. It is native to North America. Members of the genus Brachys are leaf-miners as larvae, developing within the leaves of hardwood trees rather than boring through wood, a habit that distinguishes them from most other buprestids.
Brachys ovatus
Oval Jewel Beetle
Brachys ovatus is a small metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It is the largest of the three Brachys species occurring in Missouri, typically exceeding 5 mm in length. The species is a leaf-miner, with larvae developing within oak leaves rather than boring through wood. It is widely distributed across Central and North America.
Brachys wellsoi
Brachys wellsoi is a species of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae, tribe Trachyini. Members of this genus are leaf-miners of hardwood trees, primarily oaks (Quercus). The tribe Trachyini exhibits a distinctive flattened, compact, wedge-shaped body form compared to the more typical elongate, cylindrical shape of other buprestids. This morphology is associated with their unique larval habit of mining within leaf tissue rather than boring through wood.
Mastogenius subcyaneus
Mastogenius subcyaneus is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, one of the smallest members of the family in North America. Adults measure approximately 2 mm in length. The genus Mastogenius belongs to the tribe Trachyini, whose larvae exhibit the unusual habit of mining within leaves rather than boring through wood. The species occurs in North America and has been documented in oak woodland habitats.
Pachyschelus
Pachyschelus is a genus of metallic wood-boring beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing at least 270 described species. Members are small, flattened leaf-miners distinguished from other buprestids by their highly derived morphology: compact, wedge-shaped bodies adapted for living between leaf surfaces rather than boring through wood. The genus belongs to the tribe Trachyini, whose larvae mine leaves of herbaceous plants rather than stems or trunks. Species occur primarily in the Neotropics, with some extending into North America.
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 nicolayi
Pachyschelus nicolayi is a small metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, tribe Trachyini. The species is characterized by its blue coloration without pubescent spotting, distinguishing it from the similar P. purpureus. It is known to breed in Apios americana (groundnut) and Wisteria frutescens (American wisteria), with adults active later in the season than the related P. purpureus. The species has been recorded from North America, though its distribution appears to be less well documented than some congeners.
Pachyschelus purpureus
Pachyschelus purpureus is a small metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, tribe Trachyini. Adults are active in early spring and are associated with wild geranium (Geranium maculatum). The species is part of a distinctive group of leaf-mining buprestids with flattened, compact body forms adapted for larval development in leaf tissue rather than wood.
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.