Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Neocuris monochroma   Fairmaire, 1877
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Curidini » subtribe  Neocurina
Neocuris monochroma   Adult images
Neocuris monochroma, PL4420, female, on flowering Myoporum platycarpum ssp. perbellum, MU, 7.5 × 3.0 mm Neocuris monochroma, PL4420, female, on Myoporum platycarpum ssp. perbellum, MU, 7.5 × 3.0 mm Neocuris monochroma, PL4420, female, on Myoporum platycarpum ssp. perbellum, MU, 7.5 × 3.0 mm Neocuris monochroma, PL4420, female, from Myoporum platycarpum ssp. perbellum, MU, 7.5 × 3.0 mm Neocuris monochroma, PL4420, on flowering Myoporum platycarpum ssp. perbellum, MU, 7.5 × 3.0 mm
Actual
size¹:
7.5 mm
×
3.0 mm
Measurements (mm)
female
L17.5
n = 1
L27.2
n = 1
W3.0
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
Neocuris monochroma  Distinctive features

Compared to other greenish Neocuris in SA, this species tends to be larger and more oblong in shape with straighter sides and have more blue coloration.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  MUYPSL
Australian States:  WA?SAVICNSW
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 Neocuris monochroma  (total actual records: 1 beetles)
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 > 1 (median)
actual count <= 1 (median)
live non-emerged (inactive) beetles only
Adult host plant
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
11MUS
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
S Scrophulariaceae 1 100% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on flowering plant11
Neocuris monochroma Breeding record images
Neocuris monochroma, SAMA 25-021238, larval host plant, SL Neocuris monochroma, SAMA 25-021238, larval host plant, SL Neocuris monochroma, SAMA 25-021238, larval host plant, SL
Larval host plant
records sites SA regions¹ family adult ex pupapupa
41SLM13
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
M Myrtaceae 4 100% 1
Position in larval host
positionrecordssitesadult ex pupapupa
stem4113
Host plant notes

The breeding record presented here is based on an adult specimen in the SA Museum that had been raised from a pupa extracted from a tree trunk in the Adelaide Hills by A.M.P. Stolarski in March 1990. The collector was able to locate the same tree in 2020 still bearing its 30 year old scars and I could identify it as a Rough-bark Manna Gum Eucalyptus viminalis ssp. cygnetensis.

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.