Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Diphucrania nubeculosa   (Germar, 1848)
subfamily  Agrilinae » tribe  Coraebini » subtribe  Cisseina
Diphucrania nubeculosa   Adult images
Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349B, PL0349A, female and male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349B, female, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.1 × 4.0 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349A, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 × 3.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349B, female, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.1 × 4.0 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0373, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 11.4 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218C, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0562, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 11.1 × 4.2 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0562, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 11.1 × 4.2 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0347B, female, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 9.8 × 3.7 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0347B, female, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 9.8 × 3.7 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0347B, female, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 9.8 × 3.7 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349A, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 × 3.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349A, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 × 3.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3146, male, from Acacia pycnantha, NL, 9.7 × 3.7 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0373, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 11.4 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0373, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 11.4 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0373, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 11.4 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0373, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 11.4 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1148, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1148, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218C, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218C, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218C, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218C, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218B, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218B, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218B, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3150, male, from Acacia pycnantha, NL, 9.7 × 3.8 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349A, male, from Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 × 3.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349B, female, MU, 10.1 × 4.0 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, DAY139, female, from Acacia pycnantha foliage, KI, 10.7 × 4.1 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, DAY165, female, from Acacia pycnantha foliage, KI, 11.5 × 4.1 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3150, PL0349B, male and female
Actual
size¹:
10.2 mm
×
4.0 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L19.5
7.4 – 10.8
 n = 2310.9
8.6 – 12.4
 n = 24
L29.3
7.3 – 10.3
 n = 811.0
10 – 12.25
 n = 7
W3.7
2.9 – 4.2
 n = 234.3
3.15 – 5
 n = 24
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
Diphucrania nubeculosa  Distinctive features

A relatively large Diphucrania species with the females generally purplish and the males smaller with green head, pronutum and ventral side.

Notes

The strong sexual differentiation in this species led to the females and males being originally described as two separate species. Based on specimens from Adelaide,Germar 1848 (pp.176-77) named the female Ethon nubeculosum and the male E. chalcopterum. Carter 1923a (p. 165) pointed out that they were the same species, and this was confirmed by Barker 1999a when he examined the types in the Humboldt University Museum, Berlin.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  FR,  EP,  NL,  MU,  YP,  SL,  SE,  KI
Australian States:  SA,  VIC
Southern South Australia distribution
LegendP.J.Lang collection vouchered records
other private collection or museum specimens, or sightings
Satellite map
Terrain map
Enlarge map
Adult activity records for Diphucrania nubeculosa  (total of 172 beetles)
2
9 1 28 34
30 4 12 36
11 2 2
1
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Legend
live emerged adults, count > median value of 9 per quarter month
live emerged adults, count <= median value of 9
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
Acacia pycnantha10728FR, NL, MU, SL, KI, SEF
Acacia calamifolia185FR, EPF
Acacia sp.174FR, EP, SLF
Acacia argyrophylla133MUF
Acacia euthycarpa53FR, MUF
Acacia rigens11MUF
Acacia spilleriana11NLF
Senna artemisioides ssp. x coriacea11MUF
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 family
Code beetles % host plant taxa
F Fabaceae 162 100% 6
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on flowering plant11
on foliage or non-flowering plant12434
on plant (unspecified)3810
Diphucrania nubeculosa Breeding record images
Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3883C, PL3883B, female and male, dead non-emerged adult, in Acacia spilleriana, dead stem base, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3883C, PL3883B, female and male, dead non-emerged adult, in Acacia spilleriana, dead stem base, MU Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3883B, male, dead non-emerged adult, in Acacia spilleriana, dead stem base, MU, 7.4 × 2.9 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3883B, male, dead non-emerged adult, from Acacia spilleriana dead stem base, MU, 7.4 × 2.9 mm
Larval host plant
individuals sites SA regions¹ family adult dead
Acacia spilleriana41MUF4
Legendindividualscount 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 family
Code individuals % host plant taxa
F Fabaceae 4 100% 1
Position in larval host
positionindividualssitesadult dead
dead stem414
Host plant notes

Adults are common foliage-feeders on Golden Wattle Acacia pycnantha and other Acacia species in SA. Breeding has only been established in one rather localised host plant species to date (A. spilleriana), but given the abundance and distribution of D. nubeculosa, it is likely that A. pycnantha and other Acacia species will be shown to be larval hosts also.

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.