Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Diphucrania nubeculosa   (Germar, 1848)
subfamily  Agrilinae » tribe  Coraebini » subtribe  Cisseina
Diphucrania nubeculosa   Adult images (last updated: 29 Mar 2020)
Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349B, PL0349A, female and male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.4 km NNE Sedan, 16 Dec 2007 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349B, female, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.4 km NNE Sedan, 16 Dec 2007, 10.1 × 4.0 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349A, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.4 km NNE Sedan, 16 Dec 2007, 8.7 × 3.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349B, female, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.4 km NNE Sedan, 16 Dec 2007, 10.1 × 4.0 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0373, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 0.5 km SE Brown Hill summit, Brownhill Creek RP, 29 Dec 2007, 11.4 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218C, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 km W Sedan, 3 Jan 2010 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0562, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 0.65 km SE Kaiserstuhl summit, 23 Dec 2008, 11.1 × 4.2 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0562, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 0.65 km SE Kaiserstuhl summit, 23 Dec 2008, 11.1 × 4.2 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0347B, female, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.5 km ESE Truro, 16 Dec 2007, 9.8 × 3.7 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0347B, female, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.5 km ESE Truro, 16 Dec 2007, 9.8 × 3.7 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0347B, female, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.5 km ESE Truro, 16 Dec 2007, 9.8 × 3.7 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349A, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.4 km NNE Sedan, 16 Dec 2007, 8.7 × 3.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349A, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.4 km NNE Sedan, 16 Dec 2007, 8.7 × 3.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3146, male, from Acacia pycnantha, NL, 1.2 km NW Burra, 28 Dec 2014, 9.7 × 3.7 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0373, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 0.5 km SE Brown Hill summit, Brownhill Creek RP, 29 Dec 2007, 11.4 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0373, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 0.5 km SE Brown Hill summit, Brownhill Creek RP, 29 Dec 2007, 11.4 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0373, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 0.5 km SE Brown Hill summit, Brownhill Creek RP, 29 Dec 2007, 11.4 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0373, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 0.5 km SE Brown Hill summit, Brownhill Creek RP, 29 Dec 2007, 11.4 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1148, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 1.8 km ENE Brown Hill summit, 20 Dec 2009, 10.9 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1148, female, on Acacia pycnantha, SL, 1.8 km ENE Brown Hill summit, 20 Dec 2009, 10.9 × 4.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218C, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 km W Sedan, 3 Jan 2010 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218C, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 km W Sedan, 3 Jan 2010 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218C, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 km W Sedan, 3 Jan 2010 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218C, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 km W Sedan, 3 Jan 2010 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218B, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 km W Sedan, 3 Jan 2010 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218B, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 km W Sedan, 3 Jan 2010 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL1218B, male, on Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 8.7 km W Sedan, 3 Jan 2010 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3150, male, from Acacia pycnantha, NL, 9.4 km S Burra, 28 Dec 2014, 9.7 × 3.8 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349A, male, from Acacia argyrophylla, MU, 10.4 km NNE Sedan, 16 Dec 2007, 8.7 × 3.3 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL0349B, female, MU, 10.4 km NNE Sedan, 16 Dec 2007, 10.1 × 4.0 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, DAY139, female, from Acacia pycnantha foliage, KI, 6.0 km E Karatta, 27 Dec 2007, 10.7 × 4.1 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, DAY165, female, from Acacia pycnantha foliage, KI, 6.0 km E Karatta, 9 Jan 2008, 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 = 2510.9
8.6 – 12.4
 n = 27
L29.2
7.3 – 10.3
 n = 1011.0
10 – 12.25
 n = 10
W3.6
2.9 – 4.2
 n = 254.3
3.15 – 5
 n = 27
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, pronotum 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 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 Diphucrania nubeculosa  (total actual records: 207 beetles)
3
9 7 29 38
47 6 14 36
11 2 1 2
1
1
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 > 7 (median)
actual count <= 7 (median)
Adult host plants
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
Acacia pycnantha13233FR, NL, MU, SL, KI, SEF
Acacia calamifolia275FR, EPF
Acacia sp.174FR, EP, SLF
Acacia argyrophylla133MUF
Acacia euthycarpa63FR, MUF
Acacia provincialis11SLF
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 names in green are hyperlinked to a matching host species page with plant photos.
Plant family
Code beetles % host plant taxa
F Fabaceae 198 100% 7
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on flowering plant61
on foliage or non-flowering plant13938
on plant (unspecified)5413
Diphucrania nubeculosa Breeding record images (last updated: 13 Jun 2020)
Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3883C, PL3883B, female and male, dead non-emerged adult, in Acacia spilleriana, dead stem base, MU, 10.8 km NNW Robertstown, 28 Jun 2017 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3883C, PL3883B, female and male, dead non-emerged adult, in Acacia spilleriana, dead stem base, MU, 10.8 km NNW Robertstown, 28 Jun 2017 Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3883B, male, dead non-emerged adult, in Acacia spilleriana, dead stem base, MU, 10.8 km NNW Robertstown, 28 Jun 2017, 7.4 × 2.9 mm Diphucrania nubeculosa, PL3883B, male, dead non-emerged adult, from Acacia spilleriana dead stem base, MU, 10.8 km NNW Robertstown, 28 Jun 2017, 7.4 × 2.9 mm
Larval host plant
records sites SA regions¹ family adult dead
Acacia spilleriana41MUF4
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 4 100% 1
Position in larval host
positionrecordssitesadult 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.