Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Castiarina carminea   (Saunders, 1868) (updated 26 Dec 2025)
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Stigmoderini » subtribe  Stigmoderina
Castiarina  species group: vicina
Castiarina carminea   Adult images (last updated: 26 Dec 2025)
Castiarina carminea, SAMA 25-016725, SL, 7.8 km SW Milang, 14 Oct 1993, photo by Peter Lang for SA Museum, 14.6 × 5.5 mm Castiarina carminea, SAMA 25-016724, female, on Leptospermum myrsinoides, SL, 7 km S Ashbourne, Cox Scrub CP, 25 Oct 1981, photo by Jennifer Gardner, 15.0 × 6.3 mm Castiarina carminea, SAMA 25-016724, female, on Leptospermum myrsinoides, SL, 7 km S Ashbourne, Cox Scrub CP, 25 Oct 1981, photo by Jennifer Gardner, 15.0 × 6.3 mm Castiarina carminea, SAMA 25-016724, female, on Leptospermum myrsinoides, SL, 7 km S Ashbourne, Cox Scrub CP, 25 Oct 1981, photo by Jennifer Gardner, 15.0 × 6.3 mm Castiarina carminea, iNat-329153169, on Leptospermum myrsinoides, SL, Cox Scrub CP, 2 Dec 2025, photo by Ernst Weiher
Actual
size¹:
14.5 mm
×
5.8 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L114.3
14.1 – 14.55
 n = 214.9
 n = 1
L213.8
13.6 – 14.1
 n = 214.7
 n = 1
W5.5
5.5 – 5.5
 n = 26.3
 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
Castiarina carminea  Distinctive features

Superficially resembles C. crenata but is readily distinguished by the median fascia not reaching to the elytral margins, having black on extreme apex of the elytra, and its overall flatter and broader shape. The colour is often somewhat pinkish red (carmine) while C. crenata is usually more orangey.

Notes

This species is only infrequently encountered in SA. After a long hiatus, in 2025 Castiarina carminea was recorded again in SA - twice. A typical specimen was photographed at Nairne on 1 November and posted on iNaturalist. The locality is reasonably close to that of a 1963 collection from Mount Barker held at the SA Museum. The second 2025 record, another iNaturalist observation, was made from Cox Scrub CP on 1 December, and was previously recorded in that park on 25 October 1981.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  EP,  SL,  SE
Australian States:  WA,  SA,  VIC
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 Castiarina carminea  (total actual records: 10 beetles)
1 1 2
2
1 1
2
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
Leptospermum sp.32SL, SEM
Eucalyptus incrassata11SLM
Leptospermum myrsinoides11SLM
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 5 100% 2
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on flower(s)11
on flowering plant11
on plant (unspecified)32
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.