Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Germarica lilliputana   (Thomson, 1879)
subfamily  Agrilinae » tribe  Aphanisticini » subtribe  Germaricina
Germarica lilliputana   Adult images
Germarica lilliputana, PL0386, on Allocasuarina verticillata, SL Germarica lilliputana, PL0386, on Allocasuarina verticillata, SL Germarica lilliputana, PL0386H, SL, 2.4 × 0.7 mm
Actual
size¹:
2.9 mm
×
0.9 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L12.9
2.7 – 3.25
 n = 113.0
2.95 – 3.15
 n = 2
L22.8
 n = 1
W0.9
0.8 – 1.1
 n = 111.0
1 – 1
 n = 2
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
Germarica lilliputana  Distinctive features

Tiny, blackish, with a distinctly elongate body shape; a narrow pronotum with rounded sides and quite strongly tapered at the posterior end.

Notes

This aptly named species is the smallest Buprestid in SA. It is easily overlooked but can be netted in large numbers on foliage of the Drooping Sheoak Allocasuarina verticillata.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  NU,  FR,  EP,  NL,  MU,  SL,  KI,  SE
Australian States:  WA?,  SA,  TAS,  VIC,  NSW,  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 Germarica lilliputana  (total actual records: 106 beetles)
1 6
4 1
12 12 24
20 5 7 1
4
4 3
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 > 4 (median)
actual count <= 4 (median)
Adult host plants
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
Allocasuarina verticillata7911MU, SLC1
Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana164SL, SEC1
Allocasuarina sp.132SLC1
Cyperaceae sp.11FRC2
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
C1 Casuarinaceae 108 99% 2
C2 Cyperaceae 1 1% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on foliage or non-flowering plant7110
on plant (unspecified)386
Host plant notes

In addition to the Drooping Sheoak Allocasuarina verticillata, the species has also been taken on foliage of the Slaty Oakbush Allocasuarina muelleriana and would be expected to occur on other SA Oakbush species as well.

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.