Buprestidae

Family Buprestidae, genus Buprestis Linnaeus (by: Gerald J. Hilchie, February 9, 2001; images Danny Shpeley, January 24, 2002)

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Pictorial guide to species of Buprestis Linnaeus known to occur in Alberta.

Key to adults of the species of Buprestis in Alberta.
(Links in couplets are to images of species keyed out and species links are to species text)

1. Elytra covered with fine yellow flecks...................................................... B. confluenta
1'. Elytra black, green, blue, or copper, may have large yellow to orange spots, 2, 4
or 6, never with flecks ........................................................................................................... 2

2. Elytra with 4 to 5 costa (ridges) separated by a wide finely and densely punctate
intervals .................................................................................................................................... 3
2'. Elytra with close, almost touching ridges, or more widely separated, black, green,
or spotted ................................................................................................................................... 4

3. Elytra brilliant green with suture and lateral margins cupreous ........ B. aurulenta
3'. Elytra dull coppery to brownish green ..................................................... B. sulcicollis

4. Abdominal sternites black, lateral margins and usually last segment marked with
orange ....................................................................................................................................... 5
4'. Abdominal sternites green, dark blue, coppery, no orange markings ................... 8

5. Elytra with 2, 4 or 6 yellow orange spots or loosely connected together, if
immaculate, all abdominal sternites with pair of orange spots or only 2 spots on the
last abdomenal sternite .......................................................................................................... 6
5'. Elytra lacking spots, abdominal sternites 1 and 2 without spots ............................... 7

6. Interstrial spaces of elytra evenly elevated, elytra with spots merging together
into an irregular band; usually with two orange spots on the last sternite ...................
......................................................................................................................... B. maculipennis
6'. Interstrial spaces alternating high and low, spots usually descrete, 2, 4 or 6; most
abdomental sternites with lateral orange spots. On spruce and pine, common ..............
...................................................................................................................................... B. nutalli

7. Elytra costa strongly convex, size larger (average 20 mm), last abdominal sternite
with a pair of large spots to a transverse orange bar, face usually yellow orange
with two black spots ................................................................................................... B. lyrata
7'. Elytra costa weakly convex, appears to have a slight depression about 1/4 to 1/3
down the elytra, smaller size (average 16 mm), last abdominal sternite weakly
marked, lateral spots small, colour dark, somewhat bronze to greenish brown,
frons usually dark, clypeus may be yellow to orange .........................B. maculiventris

8. Alternate elytral costa weak and strong, elytral apices well rounded, usually
bright green with coppery suture and lateral margins, never with spots on the
elytra ...................................................................................................................... B. intricata
8'. Elytral costa uniform, elytral apices blunt to bidentate, colour variable, green,
blue, may have yellow spots ................................................................................................. 9

9. Body elongate, usually green, never with suture cupreous, females 0 to 2 spots,
males 2, 4 or 6 yellow spots, elytral apices bidentate .......................................... B. langi
9'. Body more stout, never with elytral spots, green through blue, suture may be
cupreous ................................................................................................................... B. adjecta

Buprestisaurulenta Linnaeus (Images) - Golden Buprestid

Habitat: Conifer forests with injured or dying trees and around logging operations and saw mills.
Seasonality: July.
Identification: This species is easily recognised from all other Alberta species of Buprestis, by the presence of 5 elytral costae, brilliant blue to green colour with cupreous margins of the elytra. Similar species are B. sulcicollis (LeConte) and B. striata (Fabr.). Adults range in size from 13 to 22 mm.
Life History: Adults are readily attracted to injured trees, fresh stumps, and blow down. They have even been observed on fresh sawn lumber. These beetles are considered pests in much of their range. Adults may lay eggs in cracks near injuries, cut edges of lumber etc. The larvae hatch, then mine under the bark or through the wood, causing mechanical injury and defects especially in Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine. Damage consists of mines and exit holes in the wood. Typically the larvae and emerge as adults in 2 to 4 years from the wood. Under conditions of stress the cycle may be prolonged to well over 40 years. There are many documented cases of beetles emerging from within buildings from a wide variety of locations, including hand rails, doors, kitchen shelving, baseboards and various structural timbers. Beetles have shown up in Europe, emerging from lumber and shipping crates.
Conservation: Considered a pest in much of its range. Rare in Alberta
Diet information: Known to bred in a wide variety of Pines, including limber and lodgepole, Douglas Fir, grand fir, and western red cedar.
Range: These beetles are found through the Pacific Northwest, from southern B.C. southward through the Rocky mountains to Mexico. A few specimens have been taken in Manitoba.

Data: B. aurulenta

Buprestissulcicollis (LeConte) (Images)

Habitat: Northern Conifer forests.
Seasonality: Inadequate information, expected activity of adults late June through July.
Identification: The dorsal surface is dull copper to brown or green. The 4 elevated elytral costa are more shining. Elytra and venter lack pale spots. These characters separates B. sulcicollis from all other Alberta species of Buprestis. Adult length is 11 to 15.5 mm.
Life History: Very little is know about this species
Conservation: Rare, uncommon.
Diet information: In east, the beetles have been recorded from several pines. In Alberta it is suspected to use Jack Pine.
Range: Wide spread from Quebec, the Great Lakes and Atlantic States, just getting into north eastern Alberta and adjacent North West Territories.

Data: B. sulcicollis

BuprestislangiMannerheim (Images: female; male)

Habitat: Conifer forests of the boreal, montane and subalpine regions.
Seasonality: In Alberta, adults are known from July 2 through September 3.
Identification: Males tend to be brilliant green, sometimes with coppery over tones, with large yellow paired spots (2, 4 or 6) on their elytra. Females differ in usually lacking spots, or with a pair of small spots on their brilliant green elytra. The beetles are of moderate size with females ranging from 13 to 19 mm. with a mean of 15.5 mm (n=21) and males 14.5 to 15.0 mm (n=2).
Life History: Little is known of their life history. Females are seldom found in association with the males. They are frequently captured while trying to oviposit on logs. Males, rarely collected, may be found on the foliage of willow, alders and poplars near where the females are ovipositing. The sister species B. faciata (Fabricius) is reported breeding in maple and poplar. It is interesting to speculate that there has been a host shift with B. langi in that development is now in conifers but the mating sites are still associated with hardwoods. Prolonged larval development has been reported for this species with emergence from flooring, siding and pilings.
Conservation: Wide spread, can be locally common with the potential of causing significant damage to cut trees and lumber products.
Diet information: Larvae have been reported in Douglas Fir. Other hosts are ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine and white spruce. In Alberta adult females are often associated with lodgepole pine.
Range: The species is found from Mexico north to central B.C. in the mountains with populations in the boreal forest of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Alberta records are primarily in the foothill and mountain forests (lodgepole pine zone).

Data: B. langi

BuprestismaculipennisGory (Images)

Habitat: Northern Conifer forests.
Seasonality: Inadequate information, expected activity of adults late June through August.
Identification: The dorsal surface is dark brown to black with yellow-orange maculation often joining into a longitudinal irrigular band. The evenly elevated elytral inter strial spaces help separate this species from similar appearing B. nutalli.. The last abdomenal sternite usually has a pair of orange spots. Adult length is 10 to 15 mm.
Life History: Very little is know about this species.
Conservation: Rare, uncommon.
Diet information: In the south, these beetles feed on a variety of pines. In Alberta it is suspected to use Jack Pine.
Range: Sporadic occurances are recorded through the boreal forest region of Canada, Saskatchewan and eastward. Most records are from the southern (Texas to Florida) and eastern states (New Jersey and south) of the USA.

Data: B. maculipennis

Buprestismaculiventris Say (Images)

Habitat: Boreal conifer forests.
Seasonality: Late June through early August.
Identification: Beetles of B. maculiventris are dark with a bronzed lustre. on the elytra, a slight depression exists 1/4 to 1/2 the distance from the apex. Slight transverse wrinkle marks, occur in the depression. No yellow markings are present on the elytra. The last 4 abdominal sterna are usually maculated with orange spots. This species is easily confused with B. lyrata but may be distinguished by its smaller average size. Immaculate beetles of B. nutalli are very similar, but have lateral maculations on all abdominal sterna. Beetles of B. maculiventris from 13 to 20 mm.
Life History: Very little is known of this beetles life history.
Conservation: Widespread, sporadic.
Diet information: In eastern Canada recorded from Fraser fir, various pines and white spruce. In Alberta the beetle has been associated with white spruce.
Range: The beetle is found from the North West Territories east to the Maritimes and south into the Eastern United States. In Alberta it is found in the northern boreal forest and an isolated population in the Cypress Hills.

Data: B. maculiventris

Buprestislyrata Kirby(Images)

Habitat: Conifer forests, usually containing Douglas fir or pines.
Seasonality: July.
Identification: In general, these beetles are larger, in Alberta averaging 19.25 mm.(n= 13, 16-23 mm) Beetles are black without dorsal maculations, ventrally the last 1 to 3 abdominal sternites have lateral orange spots. A few immaculate B. nutalli may be confused with this species. size and presence of maculation on all abdominal sternites will separate the species.
Life History: Little is known.
Conservation: The beetles are relatively uncommon. In the foothills they may be locally common on fresh Douglas fir logs.
Diet information: In B.C. B. lyrata is known from ponderosa pine and Douglas Fir. In Alberta the beetles have been associated with Douglas Fir logs. In the east neither of these tree species are present, which implies the use of another host, probably jack pine.
Range: The beetles are reported to occur from B.C. east to Nova Scotia in the boreal forest, and south through the mountain regions of western United States. In Alberta the specimens that I have seen all come from the montane forests, with Douglas Fir. Bright (1987) shows records from the Peace river area and in Saskatchewan around east of Cold Lake.

Data: B. lyrata

Buprestisnutalli Kirby (Images)

Habitat: Conifer forests across Canada.
Seasonality: Late May through mid September.
Identification: Maculated individuals are easily recognised. The dorsal surface is black usually with 4 or 6 orange spots (a few individuals may have 2 or no spots). Ventrally, all abdominal sternites have lateral orange spots. Immaculate individuals may be distinguished from the larger (usually) immaculate B. lyrata by the orange spots on all the sternites. Examination of the male genitalia is also diagnostic. Beetles range from 13 through 18.5 mm with a mean size of 15.4 mm (n=37). males tend to be slightly smaller than the females. Some individuals may be confused with B. maculipennis, based on maculation pattern, the undulating height of the alternate elytral intervals on B. nutalli is diagnostic.
Life History: Details of the life cycle have not been worked out. Males of B. nutalli come to the oviposition sites looking for females. On several occasions, male B. nutalli have be observed in copula with the females of the wrong species, most commonly those of B. langi. No hybrid offspring have been found to date.
Conservation: This is the most common species of the genus found in Alberta.
Diet information: These beetles are associated with many species of pines, fir, Douglas fir, and white spruce. In Alberta adults are knwon from lodgepole pine and white spruce.
Range: From Alaska in the north east to Quebec and south to Arizona and New Mexico. In Alberta specimens have been found in the boreal, foothills, and mountain conifer forests. No specimens have been collected to date in the Cypress Hills.

Data: B. nutalli

Buprestisintricata Casey (Images)

Habitat: Montane lodgepole pine forests.
Seasonality: July
Identification: The beetles are often brilliant green to blue with cupreous banding along the elytral suture and lateral margins superficially resembling B. aurulenta. This species differs from B. aurulenta in the presence of closely spaced elytral costae (ridges, 6 or more). Structure of the male genitalia are also diagnostic. The beetles range from 14.4 to 19.4 mm with a mean length of 17.4 mm. (n=7).
Life History: Very little is known.
Conservation: Very uncommon.
Diet information: The reported host is lodgepole pine, however, one Alberta specimen was collected in association with white spruce. It is likely that a wide range of conifers are used as hosts, notably pines.
Range: These beetles are found sporadically from central B.C. through Rocky Mountains, south to Mexico. In Alberta a few beetles have been taken in the southern mountain/ foothill region.

Data: B. intricata

Buprestisadjecta (LeConte) (Images)

Habitat: Pine forests of the Rocky Mountains.
Seasonality: July to early September.
Identification: Accurate identification is difficult as the species limits are not clearly understood. Male and female genitalia are diagnostic, except females are more commonly caught. Shape of the elytral apices, as reported in most keys (Helfer 1941, Bright 1987) is used to separate the species, bidentate in B. adjecta and rounded in B. intricata does. Unfortunately this character does not work very well with Alberta collected material. The beetles of B. adjecta tend to be shorter, 14.23 mm, 12.5- 16.0 mm (females, n= 11) than B. intricata. Of the specimens examined, the colour was a solid blue to iridescent green without lateral or sutural coppery regions.
Life History: Virtually nothing is known.
Conservation: Very uncommon.
Diet information: The beetles are reported from a variety of pines and Englemann spruce. In Alberta this species is associated with lodgepole pine.
Range: The beetles are found from southern British Columbia south through the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico. In Alberta they have been found in the southern mountains and foothills.

Data: B. adjecta

Buprestisconfluenta Say (Images)

Habitat: Adults may be found basking on piles of drift logs along rivers.
Seasonality: Adults are active from late June through August.
Identification: This species is perhaps the easiest to identify of any in the genus. The fine yellow specks irregularly scattered over the elytra are not found on any other species. The yellow flecks may be widely separated to almost confluent. The head and pronotum are usually a solid metallic green. The background colour of the elytra is brilliant green through coppery brown and occasionally purplely blue. The beetles range in length from 12 to 20 mm, with males about 14.2 mm and females about 17 mm.
Life History: Little is known.
Conservation: Relatively uncommon.
Diet information: The beetles have been reported from aspen and cottonwood (Populus deltoides). In Alberta the beetles have been associated with balsam poplar (P. balsamifera) and cottonwood (Populus deltoides) drift logs.
Range: This species is reported from Quebec west to British Columbia and south to Texas and California. In Alberta it is sporadically found in the southern half of the province.

Data: B. confluenta