My big and beautiful last newbie for the year I suspect. Unless I go on a night hunt. She is Temognatha conspicillata and she is huge compared to the other jewel beetles that I have found here. I read up and discovered it can take 10 years for them to emerge from a species of Melaleuca. OMG, worth the wait. It really makes you think about creating and preserving habitiat doesn’t it? What was really special to me about this was the fact that I made my visitors come and look at my bug hotels when it was really hot. I got to share the joy of hearing it fly in as we all gazed and “what was that” echoed. We all got photos, I ended up on a table for these shots.
The stanadard rose is taller then me. Jandakot. #1082Source: Faye Arcaro, Insects of Perth & South West Western Australia
Temognatha conspicillata is a beetle in the tribe Stigmoderini, and part of the Jewel Beetles family Buprestidae. The adults are known to emerge during December to January in the Perth region, having fed in the trunk and roots of the Melaleuca trees for up to 10 years. Pictured is the female Temognatha conspicillata, the male lack the first two bands. Temognatha conspicillata is described as orange and blue, there is a blue form (without the orange).
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Informal: Pterygotes
- Order: Coleoptera
- Suborder: Polyphaga
- Superfamily: Buprestoidea
- Family: Buprestidae
- Subfamily: Buprestinae
- Tribe: Stigmoderini
- Subtribe Stigmoderina
- Genus: Temognatha
- Species: Temognatha conspicillata
Footnote & References
- Temognatha conspicillata, Jandakot WA © Faye Arcaro
- Temognatha conspicillata (White, 1843), Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Temognatha conspicillata
TemognathaTemognatha Index Temognatha bruckii Temognatha chevrolati Temognatha conspicillata Temognatha flavocincta Temognatha martini Temognatha menalcas Temognatha sanguinea
BuprestidaeMore Buprestidae Buprestidae Index Jewel Beetles Astraeus Bubastes pilbarensis Calodema plebeia Calotemognatha Castiarina Cyrioides Diadoxus Hypocisseis suturalis Diphucrania Julodimorpha saundersii Melobasis Merimna atrata Metaxymorpha grayii Metaxymorpha gloriosa Stigmodera Temognatha Torresita cuprifera
ColeopteraColeoptera Index Amarygmus sp Anoplognathus sp Aphanestes gymnopleura Blackburnium cavicolle Buprestidae Carphurus Cerambycidae Chalcopteroides (Chalcopterus Beetle) Christmas Beetles Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles) Coleoptera (Beetles) Curculionidae Dung Beetle Eretes australis Helea scaphiformis Hydrophilus Ladybirds (Beetles) Lepidiota Lucanidae Lycidae Mordellidae (Pintail Beetles) Neospades sp Omorgus Paropsine Beetle Paropsisterna sp Phorticosomus sp Protaetia fusca Pterohelaeus sp Rhinotia haemoptera Rhipiceridae Scarabaeidae Tenebrionidae Xylophilostenus octophyllus
InsectsBees Beetles Blattodea Butterflies Coleoptera Cicada Crabronidae Diptera Dragonflies & Damselflies Formicidae Hemiptera Heteroptera Moths Orthoptera Orthopteroid Processionary Caterpillar Stink Bugs, Shield Bugs and Allies Wasps Water Scorpion (Laccotrephes tristis) Witchetty Grub