Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Chrysobothris saundersii   Macleay, 1872
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Chrysobothrini » subtribe  Chrysobothrina
Chrysobothris saundersii   Adult images
Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 03401, female, from Acacia victoriae ssp. victoriae, FR, 17.5 × 6.9 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 11009, male, from Acacia rigens, MU, 12.1 × 4.8 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 03401, female, FR, 17.5 × 6.9 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 11009, male, MU, 12.1 × 4.8 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 03401, female, showing apical ventrite with median carina and incised bidentate apex, FR, 17.5 × 6.9 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 11008, female, showing apical ventrite with median carina and incised bidentate apex, MU, 14.9 × 5.9 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 11009, male, showing aedeagus and apical ventrite non-carinate distally & bidentate with narrow deep incision, MU, 12.1 × 4.8 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 12895, male, dead specimen from southern NT showing non-carinate apical ventrite Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 03401, female, from Acacia victoriae ssp. victoriae, FR, 17.5 × 6.9 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 03401, female, from Acacia victoriae ssp. victoriae, FR, 17.5 × 6.9 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 11009, male, from Acacia rigens, MU, 12.1 × 4.8 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, MAH 11009, male, from Acacia rigens, MU, 12.1 × 4.8 mm
Actual
size¹:
15.5 mm
×
6.2 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L112.4
12.05 – 12.8
n = 216.7
14.9 – 17.9
n = 5
L212.2
11.85 – 12.65
n = 216.4
14.7 – 17.75
n = 5
W4.9
4.75 – 5.1
n = 26.7
5.85 – 7.55
n = 5
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
Chrysobothris saundersii  Distinctive features

Frons unevenly punctate, with areas of coalesced thickening and zones of differing relief; a gently arcuate/bow-shaped thickening on the brow adjoining vertex. Labrum coppery orange to red, and in proximal part largely impuncate and devoid of hairs. Pronotum largely punctate with limited development of transverse striae, somewhat flattened laterally, with relatively straight, gently curved sides, and two weak, obliquely elongate foveae along each side. Apical abdominal ventrite with a strong median carina in female (but obscure or absent in male) and its apex bidentate with a deep concave incision. Differs from C. mastersii in being concolourous and brassy blackish on ventral side, and from C. perroni in lacking a prominent dense patch of long pale hairs below upper elytral margin (on epipleural segment adjoining the metepimeron).

Notes

A widely distributed pan-Australian species. Known on northern Eyre Peninsula by dead salt lake specimens collected by P. Hudson, three from a lake in the western part and three from one on the eastern side.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  FREPMU
Australian States:  WANTSAVICQLD
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 Chrysobothris saundersii  (total of 4 beetles)
2
1
1
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Legend
live emerged adults, count > median value of 1 per quarter month
live emerged adults, count <= median value of 1
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
31MUF
11FRF
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
F Fabaceae 4 100% 2
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on plant (unspecified)11
other
  stem31
Lure affinity
colour beetles sites SA regions¹
blue11MU
Chrysobothris saundersii Breeding record images
Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5504, larva, in Acacia rigens (PJL 3561) dead branch, MU Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5504, larva, from Acacia rigens (PJL 3561) dead branch, dorsal & ventral view, MU Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5504, larva, from Acacia rigens (PJL 3561) dead branch, dorsal, MU Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5504, larva, from Acacia rigens (PJL 3561) dead branch, ventral, MU Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5510x, pupa, in Acacia rigens (PJL 3564) dead branch, 20.5 mm long, MU Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5510x, pupa, in Acacia rigens (PJL 3564) dead branch, 20.5 mm long, MU Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5510x, pupa, in Acacia rigens (PJL 3564) dead branch, 20.5 mm long, MU Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5510, female, reared adult, from Acacia rigens dead branch as pupa, MU, 16.8 × 7.6 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5510, female, reared adult, from Acacia rigens dead branch as pupa, MU, 16.8 × 7.6 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5510, female, reared adult, from Acacia rigens dead branch as pupa, MU, 16.8 × 7.6 mm Chrysobothris saundersii, PL5510, female, reared adult, from Acacia rigens dead branch as pupa, MU, 16.8 × 7.6 mm
Larval host plant
records sites SA regions¹ family adult livepupa
21MUF11
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
F Fabaceae 2 100% 1
Position in larval host
positionrecordssitesadult livepupa
dead stem2111
Host plant notes

The first breeding record presented here is an adult that I reared from a pupa in a dead branch of Nealie Wattle Acacia rigens collected c. 40 km NNE Renmark in Chowilla Regional Reserve. The elytra were damaged during emergence and their foveae are obscure but still discernable. Apart from this, it is a good match to intact adult specimens, including features of the apical abdominal ventrite.
This larval host species record is supported by a Chrysobothris larva, again from a dead branch of A. rigens. The latter was found much further SE in the Murray mallee Region (MU) in the Bakara area, where several adult C. saundersii were collected by M.A. Hura, including two observed on Acacia rigens stems.

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.