Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Bubastes sphaenoida   Laporte & Gory, 1836
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Bubastini » subtribe  Bubastina
Bubastes sphaenoida   Adult images (last updated: 29 Mar 2020)
Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0243, male, on Acacia ligulata, LE, 45 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 25 Oct 2007, 14.6 × 4.5 mm Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0235, on Acacia ligulata, LE, 52 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 23 Oct 2007, 18.1 × 5.8 mm Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0235, on Acacia ligulata, LE, 52 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 23 Oct 2007, 18.1 × 5.8 mm Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0243, male, LE, 45 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 25 Oct 2007, 14.6 × 4.5 mm Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0235, on Acacia ligulata, LE, 52 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 23 Oct 2007, 18.1 × 5.8 mm Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0235, LE, 52 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 23 Oct 2007, 18.1 × 5.8 mm Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0235, LE, 52 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 23 Oct 2007, 18.1 × 5.8 mm Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0243, male, LE, 45 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 25 Oct 2007, 14.6 × 4.5 mm Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0243, male, on Acacia ligulata, LE, 45 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 25 Oct 2007, 14.6 × 4.5 mm Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0243, male, on Acacia ligulata, LE, 45 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 25 Oct 2007, 14.6 × 4.5 mm Bubastes sphaenoida, PL0243, male, on Acacia ligulata, LE, 45 km SE Cordillo Downs HS, 25 Oct 2007, 14.6 × 4.5 mm
Actual
size¹:
15.4 mm
×
4.8 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L113.6
11.5 – 14.8
 n = 320.6
 n = 1
L213.5
11.4 – 14.65
 n = 320.4
 n = 1
W4.2
3.6 – 4.65
 n = 36.3
 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
Bubastes sphaenoida  Distinctive features

Blue-green above, and golden-green below with a covering of flattened whitish scale-like hairs; elytra with prominent apical spines.

Notes

This is an arid zone species, and the early Tepper collection at the SA Museum attributed to 'Ardrossan' (where Tepper resided on the Yorke Peninsula) probably represents an incorrect locality.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  LE,  YP?
Australian States:  WA,  NT,  SA,  QLD?
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 Bubastes sphaenoida  (total actual records: 8 beetles)
1
2 1
1
3
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Legend
9
number of active beetles, actually recorded in that quarter-month
actual count > 1 (median)
actual count <= 1 (median)
Adult host plants
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
Eucalyptus coolabah181LEM
Acacia ligulata33LEF
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 18 86% 1
F Fabaceae 3 14% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on foliage or non-flowering plant33
other
  on ground under canopy181
Host plant notes

Interstate, adults have been collected on Ironwood (Acacia estrophiolata) and on the small but nectar-rich flowers of the Myrtaceous shrub Aluta maisonneuvei, both species that occur in SA, as well as from Eucalyptus and Corymbia Bílý & Hanlon 2020.

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.