Trachys-yanoi
Guides
Trachys
Leaf-mining Jewel Beetles
Trachys is a genus of leaf-mining jewel beetles (Buprestidae: Trachyinae) characterized by their flattened, compact, wedge-shaped adult morphology—an adaptation distinct from the elongate cylindrical form typical of most buprestids. The genus contains approximately 20 species in Japan and is widely distributed from Africa through Asia to Europe. Larvae mine within leaves rather than boring through wood, a habit that has driven their distinctive body plan. Some species are significant forest and agricultural pests, including the introduced Trachys minutus established in Massachusetts and T. yanoi, a serious pest of Zelkova serrata in East Asia.