Jewel Beetle

The Jewel Beetles is a group also known as the Buprestidae. In this family of beetles, there are over 15,500 different species and are ranged all over the world. Another common name for this group is the metallic wood-boring beetle. This is due to their shiny iridescent like body [1]. This group is the most common collected beetle type for insect collectors, strictly due to the bright and showy colors. One of the most famous examples of a beetle from this family is the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that is terrorizing all of the ash trees in North America [2].

Taxonomy

  Kingdom: Animalia 
     Phylum: Arthopoda
        Subphylum: Uniramia
           Class: Insecta
              Order: Coleoptera
                 Sub Order: Polyphaga
                    Family: Buprestidae

Emerald Ash Borer beetles on a leaf for scale

Description

Jewel Beetles are easily identified due to their elongated and oval bodies tapering to a point near the end. Their lengths can masure anywhere from 3mm to 80mm, however, many species are below the 20mm mark [2].