Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Anilara angusta   Blackburn, 1891
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Curidini » subtribe  Anilarina
Anilara angusta   Adult images
Anilara angusta, PL3226E, male, on dead leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis ssp. camaldulensis, MU, 5.5 × 2.2 mm Anilara angusta, PL3226E, male, on dead leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis ssp. camaldulensis, MU, 5.5 × 2.2 mm Anilara angusta, PL3226F, male, on dead leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis ssp. camaldulensis, MU, 4.9 × 1.9 mm Anilara angusta, PL2475, from Eucalyptus baxteri dead foliage, SL, 5.5 × 2.3 mm Anilara angusta, PL1893, male, from Eucalyptus microcarpa, SL, 5.4 × 2.2 mm Anilara angusta, PL3226F, male, on dead leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis ssp. camaldulensis, MU, 4.9 × 1.9 mm
Actual
size¹:
5.2 mm
×
2.1 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L15.1
4.15 – 6.05
n = 166.0
n = 1
L24.9
4.05 – 5.85
n = 75.8
n = 1
W2.1
1.7 – 2.45
n = 162.5
n = 1
Legend  L1length from clypeus/frons to elytral apex (mean, range, sample size)
L2length from anterior of edge of eyes to elytral apex
Wmaximum width with elytra fully closed
Anilara angusta  Distinctive features

Red-brown to grey-brown, with a somewhat elongated pronotum contracted at its posterior just above its base and has its maximum width at about or just below the middle. On the ventral side between the metacoxae (intercoxal process) males have a shiny blackish boss without micro-puncturations. It is acutely angled at its anterior end, and terminates at its posterior end right up against the first visible posterior margin of the abdominal ventrites (on v3). Overall, this species is close to Anilara longicollis (q.v.) but differs in pronotum shape, boss and aedeagus.

Notes

This is one of four Anilara species that are commonly found on the dead or dying foliage of fallen eucalypt branches in the Adelaide area (see also A. obscura, A. longicollis and A. cf. anthaxoides).

Intriguingly, identified females of this species are poorly represented in SA collections. One explanation is that females may elude capture if their positioning behaviour or active time is very different to that of the males. I obtained the first adult female on 31 Jan 2024, after 19 males captured in the period since 2011. It was caught by general sweeping of vegetation, so sheds no light on behaviour.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  MUSLSE
Australian States:  SAVICNSW
Southern South Australian occurrences
LegendP.J.Lang collection vouchered records
other private collection or museum specimens, or sightings
Satellite map
Terrain map
Enlarge map
Adult activity records for Anilara angusta  (total of 23 beetles)
1
1 2 1 5
1 4
8
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Legend
live emerged adults, count > median value of 2 per quarter month
live emerged adults, count <= median value of 2
live non-emerged adults only, for that quarter month
12
number of active beetles for that quarter month
Adult host plants
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
71MUM
51SLM
Eucalyptus sp.42SLM
22MU, SLM
21SLM
11SLM
11SEM
Legendbeetlescount of beetles collected from, or sighted on, host plant taxon
sitescount of major sites (unique 10 km grid cells +/- some distinct approximate localities)
Plant names in green are hyperlinked to a matching host species page with plant photos.
Plant family
Code beetles % host plant taxa
M Myrtaceae 22 100% 6
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on dead foliage227
Anilara angusta Breeding record images
Anilara angusta, PL5555A, male, reared adult, reared from pupa ex dead Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, improperly eclosed but with long hairs on prosternum and elongate hind tarsi, SE
Larval host plant
records sites SA regions¹ family adult ex pupapupa
31SEM12
Legendrecordscount of breeding adults, pupae and larvae
sitescount of major sites (unique 10 km grid cells +/- some distinct approximate localities)
adultlive = extracted alive;   dead = extracted dead as intact or fragmentary remains;   ex billet = reared and emerged from stored sections of host;   ex pupa = reared from sampled pupa
pupaextracted pupa;   pupa ex larva = reared pupa from larva
larvaextracted larva (any stage including prepupa)
gall (only)hatched or unhatched gall identified by form and position rather than contents
Plant names in green are hyperlinked to a matching host species page with plant photos.
Plant family
Code records % host plant taxa
M Myrtaceae 3 100% 1
Position in larval host
positionrecordssitesadult ex pupapupa
dead stem3112
¹ LegendregionsSA State Herbarium regions (map)
EA: Eastern, EP: Eyre Peninsula, FR: Flinders Ranges, GT: Gairdner-Torrens, KI: Kangaroo Island, LE: Lake Eyre, MU: Murray, NL: Northern Lofty, NU: Nullarbor, NW: North-Western, SE: South-Eastern, SL: Southern Lofty, YP: Yorke Peninsula
sizeThe ellipse is the correct size when printed, indicative on a desktop screen, and likely to be wrong on a mobile device.