Variable Jewel Beetle - Themognatha variabilis (Temognatha variabilis)

Family Buprestidae

This page contains information and pictures about Variable Jewel Beetles that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.


Body length 35mm

Most species of Jewel Beetle larvae live in wood, although some of them live in root and a few are leave miner.



During a early hot summer day morning in Karawatha Forest (late Nov2006), we saw a large beetle flied pass and rested on a River She-oak tree (Casuarina cunninghamiana, Casuarinaceae). It was a very large Jewel Beetle. This is the largest beetle we ever saw. We checked that it is in Genus Themognatha, could be the Themognatha brucki. Then we received the email from Brett Howton suggested this is the Temognatha variabilis.



The Jewel Beetle was colourful. Its wing-covers were yellow in colour and gradually became red at the end. Its thorax is dark metallic green with a yellow spot on each side. The beetle flied to the top of another She-oak tree after we took a few photos. We only saw this beetle once.

From the reference information this beetle body colour is highly variable. It can be yellow to dark red. Some individuals may have red/yellow/green patterns on wing-covers. However, the shape of the patterns on the thorax are consistence.



On early Dec 2007 in Karawatha forest, the She-oak tree area, we saw a dark red Jewel Beetle on the footpath. It seemed sensed something and searching on soil with some sort of aggressive mating action. We thought it might sensed the pheromone leave by a female.



Those Jewel Beetles only appear in a very short period of time in the season of a year. They are not easily be seen. It was very exciting to see a large and colourful insect as this Jewel Beetle.



This dark red beetle flied away after we took the above photos. After the first encounter of this beetle, we learned some more information about this beetle and knew their larvae live in She-oak tree. We thought if we search carefully, we might find more. We started to look at every She-oak tree in that area.

Lucky enough, without spending too much time on searching, we found another one, a yellow form, on the base of a large She-oak tree trunk.



The beetle was resting there, then it started to slowly climb up along the tree trunk.



After we took a few photos, it flied away.



We did not sure if the beetle was waiting a mate there an went away just because our interrupt, or it was just emerged from the She-oak tree.



We examined where the beetle was resting and found there were a few holes, large enough for the beetle, on the base of the tree trunk just above the roots. Those holes looked look quite old except one hole looked fresh. It was probably the beetle just came out from there.

Reference:
1. Jewel Beetles of Western Australia - K. Carnaby, Wilga WA, 1986, page 15.
2. Coleoptera Buprestidae of Australia - Genus Themognatha, Dr. Maurizio Gigli.
3. Wild Plants of Greater Brisbane - Queensland Museum, 2003, p139.
4. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p216.
5. Insects of Australia, George Hangay & Pavel German, Reed New Holland, 2000, p72.

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