Jewel Beetles
What are they?
Also known as metallic wood-boring beetles, jewel beetles get their name from the brilliant colors and metallic sheens of many species. Many of the larger, tropical species have suffered population declines as insects have been collected and turned into jewelry. Most species feed on wood as larvae, but few could be considered pests as they tend to attack already damaged or decaying trees. Adults of a number of species can be found feeding at flowers on sunny summer days.
Identification
As a group, jewel beetles can be identified by their bullet-shaped form and their often bright colors. Even darker species tend to have shiny, metallic patches on their wing cases. Although color and pattern can vary somewhat, most species can be identified by their markings.
Sculptured Pine Borer Chalcophora virginiensis
A cryptically marked, gray-brown species that blends perfectly with the bark of pine trunks.
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Dicerca obscura
One of the drabber wood-boring beetles which may be found blending in on the trunks of forest trees. Though a rather drab, dark species, close inspection will reveal an intricate pattern of speckles and marks, and the surface of the wing cases have many sculpted pits and dents, together with areas of metallic sheen.
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Red-legged Buprestis Buprestis rufipes
A colorful and eye-catching species that may be found at flowers in sunny locations during the summer. Larvae feed on a wide range of forest trees.
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