| Euchroma giganteum | |
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| Euchroma giganteum - Ceiba Borer | |
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| Genus: | Euchroma Dejean, 1833 |
| Species: | E. giganteum |
| Binomial name | |
| Euchroma giganteum | |
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Euchroma giganteum, the Metallic Wood Boring Beetle or Giant Metallic Ceiba Borer, is a species of beetle in the family Buprestidae, the only species in the genus Euchroma. [2]
Euchroma giganteum is one of the largest of the buprestid beetles (hence the Latin name "giganteum" of the species), reaching a length of about 50–80 millimetres (2.0–3.1 in). [6]
Catoxantha and Megaloxantha are among the few other members of the family that reach a comparable size. [7]
The body of E. giganteum is robust and elongated and the elytra have a wrinkled surface and a metallic green colour with reddish or purplish tinges. The pronotum has a dark spot on each side. [6] [4] The larvae reach a length of about 12–15 centimetres (4.7–5.9 in). [6] The elytra of newly emerged adults have a coating of a yellowish, waxy powder. As the beetle ages this powder wear off. [4]
The males apparently attract the females by a clicking sound produced by the elytra. [6] This species usually mates in August. [6] [8] The larvae are miners of fallen timber, while adults are usually found walking around on the trunks of trees.
Larva feed on decaying timber, especially of the Bombacaceae family (kapok or ceiba trees, mainly Ceiba pentandra , Bombacopsis spp., Ochroma spp. and Pseudobombax spp.), but also of Araucaria angustifolia and Ficus species. [6]
This species is native to Central and South America (Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, Cuba, Jamaica, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina y Venezuela (Guarenas-Naranjal)). [6] It lives in warm Amazon regions up to elevations of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) above sea level. [6] [4]
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera, in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal life-forms; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects that damage crops.
Ceiba is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to 70 m (230 ft) tall or more, with a straight, largely branchless trunk that culminates in a huge, spreading canopy, and buttress roots that can be taller than a grown person. The best-known, and most widely cultivated, species is Kapok, Ceiba pentandra, one of several trees called kapok.
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheaded borers. The family is among the largest of the beetles, with some 15,500 species known in 775 genera. In addition, almost 100 fossil species have been described.
The emerald ash borer, also known by the acronym EAB, is a green buprestid or jewel beetle native to north-eastern Asia that feeds on ash species. Females lay eggs in bark crevices on ash trees, and larvae feed underneath the bark of ash trees to emerge as adults in one to two years. In its native range, it is typically found at low densities and does not cause significant damage to trees native to the area. Outside its native range, it is an invasive species and is highly destructive to ash trees native to Europe and North America. Before it was found in North America, very little was known about emerald ash borer in its native range; this has resulted in much of the research on its biology being focused in North America. Local governments in North America are attempting to control it by monitoring its spread, diversifying tree species, and through the use of insecticides and biological control.
The Hercules beetle is a species of rhinoceros beetle native to the rainforests of Central America, South America, and the Lesser Antilles. It is the longest extant species of beetle in the world, and is also one of the largest flying insects in the world.
The Lymexylidae, also known as ship-timber beetles, are a family of wood-boring beetles. Lymexylidae belong to the suborder Polyphaga and are the sole member of the superfamily Lymexyloidea.
Hylotrupes is a monotypic genus of woodboring beetles in the family Cerambycidae, the longhorn beetles. The sole species, Hylotrupes bajulus, is known by several common names, including house longhorn beetle, old house borer, and European house borer. In South Africa it also is known as the Italian beetle because of infested packing cases that had come from Italy. Hylotrupes is the only genus in the tribe Hylotrupini
Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The family Cleridae has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences.
Chrysolopus spectabilis is a species of weevil found in south-eastern Australia. It was discovered during James Cook's first voyage, and became one of the first insects to be described from Australia. The weevil measures up to 25 mm (1.0 in) long and includes distinctive metallic green and black scales. It is found only on 28 species of the plant genus Acacia.
Chalcophora japonica, or ubatamamushi in Japanese, also known as the flat-headed wood-borer, is a metallic, bullet-shaped, woodboring beetle of the Buprestidae family. It is endemic to Japan.
Lilioceris merdigera is a species of beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Criocerinae.
Meliboeithon is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, the jewel beetles. They are native to Australia. There are six species.
Steraspis squamosa or the Middle Eastern jewel beetle is a beetle of the Buprestidae family.
Euchroma is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae.
Anthaxia quadripunctata, the Metallic wood-boring beetle, is a species of jewel beetles belonging to the family Buprestidae, subfamily Buprestinae.
Julodis andreae is a species of beetles belonging to the Buprestidae family.
Temognatha heros, the Yellow Jewel Beetle or Large Jewel Beetle, is a species of beetles belonging to the family Buprestidae.
Tribolium is a genus of flour beetles in the family Tenebrionidae. They are known by various common names including flour beetles, flour weevils, red weevils and bran bugs.
Agrilus biguttatus is a species of beetle in the family Buprestidae, the jewel beetles. Common names include oak splendour beetle, oak buprestid beetle, and two-spotted oak borer. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and Siberia. This beetle is known as a pest that causes damage to oak trees and is a factor in oak decline.
The lemon tree borer, also known as the whistling beetle or the singing beetle, is a longhorn beetle endemic to New Zealand. Its larvae are generalist feeders, boring into the wood of a wide variety of trees, native and introduced. When citrus orchards were first established in New Zealand, this beetle started inflicting serious damage, and so gained the name "lemon tree borer". Four species within the genus Oemona have been identified, suggesting that more species could be found. When disturbed by predators or humans, the adult beetle stridulates creating a "rasp" or "squeak" sound by rubbing its thorax and head together against an area of thin ridges. Māori would eat a liquid called "pia manuka", which was produced by manuka trees when its wood was damaged by the larva. When Captain Cook first arrived in NZ, his naturalists, Banks and Solander, collected a lemon tree borer in their first collection between 1769 and 1771. This oldest collected specimen can be found in the British Museum. A few years after the first collection, the species would be first described by the Danish naturalist Fabricius in 1775.
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