Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Temognatha mitchellii   (Hope, 1846)
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Stigmoderini » subtribe  Stigmoderina
Temognatha  species group: variabilis
Temognatha mitchellii   Adult images
Temognatha mitchellii, PL4962, female, on Eucalyptus socialis, SE, 26.4 × 10.5 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL3791, female, SE, 24.9 × 9.4 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4949A, female, SE, 30.4 × 12.4 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4961, female, on Eucalyptus socialis, SE, 31.2 × 12.3 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4961, female, on Eucalyptus socialis, SE, 31.2 × 12.3 mm Temognatha mitchellii, DAY184, KI, 27.3 × 12.0 mm Temognatha mitchellii, DAY185, KI, 31.8 × 13.1 mm Temognatha mitchellii, DAY185, KI, 31.8 × 13.1 mm Temognatha mitchellii, SID1166, KI, photo by A.C. Robinson
Actual
size¹:
25.7 mm
×
10.2 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L123.7
18.3 – 28.5
 n = 2227.6
20.1 – 32
 n = 22
L223.4
18.2 – 27.4
 n = 2226.9
19.7 – 31.5
 n = 21
W9.2
7.05 – 10.9
 n = 2211.2
7.5 – 13.1
 n = 22
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
Distribution
SA Regions¹:  EP,  NL,  MU,  YP,  SL,  KI,  SE
Australian States:  WA,  SA,  TAS,  VIC,  NSW
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 Temognatha mitchellii   (total actual records: 47 beetles)
1
2 1 1
2
4 4 6
3 1 6 5
8 5 2
2
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
2
estimate of active beetles, inferred* from adjoining date ranges
actual count > 4 (median)
actual count <= 4 (median)
live non-emerged (inactive) beetles only
 *Inferred when a site has counts of active beetles for each of two consecutive periods (date ranges), one finishing and the other starting in the same quarter-month.
The count estimate is assigned to that quarter-month and calculated as the lower of the two total beetle counts, divided by the number of quarter-months in its date range.
Adult host plants
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
Bursaria spinosa ssp. spinosa112SLP1
Eucalyptus leptophylla64EP, MU, SEM
Eucalyptus porosa21SEM
Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana22MU, SLC
Choretrum glomeratum22SL, SES
Eucalyptus socialis21SEM
Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. notocolpica11KIC
Cassinia complanata11YPA
Darwinia micropetala11KIM
Hakea mitchellii11KIP2
Xanthorrhoea semiplana ssp. tateana11KIX
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
M Myrtaceae 11 37% 4
P1 Pittosporaceae 11 37% 1
C Casuarinaceae 3 10% 2
S Santalaceae 2 7% 1
A Asteraceae 1 3% 1
P2 Proteaceae 1 3% 1
X Xanthorrhoeaceae 1 3% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on flower(s)74
on flowering plant42
on foliage or non-flowering plant22
on dead foliage11
on plant (unspecified)145
other
  hovering over11
  on stem11
Lure affinity
colour beetles sites SA regions¹
white853SE
light pink232SE
blue203KI, SE
bright green52SE
yellow11SE
Temognatha mitchellii Breeding record images
Temognatha mitchellii, PL4533A, larva, in lateral root of Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana (PJL 3394) 15 cm out from stem base & frass, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 35.0 × 5.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4533A, larva, in Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana (PJL 3394) horizontal root, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 35.0 × 5.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4533A, larva, dorsal, SE, 35.0 × 5.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4533A, larva, dorsal, SE, 35.0 × 5.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4533A, larva, ventral, SE, 35.0 × 5.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4533A, larva, ventral (showing large spiracle on segment 3), SE, 35.0 × 5.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4533A, larva, in EtOH (dorsal), SE, 35.0 × 5.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4533A, larva, in EtOH (dorsal), SE, 35.0 × 5.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4533A, larva, in EtOH (ventral), SE, 35.0 × 5.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4268, larva, in Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana (PJL 3359) root crown, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 24.8 × 4.6 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4268, larva, from Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana (PJL 3359), in EtOH (dorsal), SE, 24.8 × 4.6 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4268, larva, in EtOH (ventral), SE, 24.8 × 4.6 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4268, larva, in EtOH (dorsal), SE, 24.8 × 4.6 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4268, larva, in EtOH (ventral), SE, 24.8 × 4.6 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4696x, pupa, in Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana horizontal root, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 29.5 × 10.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4696x, pupa, in Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana horizontal root, ground level dashed, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 29.5 × 10.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4696x, pupa, from Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana root, SE, 29.5 × 10.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4696x, pupa, from Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana root, 24 days after previous photo, SE, 29.5 × 10.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4719x, pupa, in Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana (PJL 3484) horizontal root with frass plug, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 36.5 × 14.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4719x, pupa, in same Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana (PJL 3484) horizontal root, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 36.5 × 14.8 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4696, reared adult, from pupa ex Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana root, SE, 24.8 × 9.9 mm Temognatha mitchellii, PL4862, male, reared adult, from larva ex Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana root, SE, 24.4 × 9.9 mm Temognatha mitchellii, MAH 13030, female, on ground near host larval plant Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. notocolpica, KI, photo by Mark Hura Temognatha mitchellii, MAH 13030, female, larval host plant, Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. notocolpica, with beetle excavating below basal stem, KI, photo by Mark Hura Temognatha mitchellii, MAH 13030, female, on larval host plant Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. notocolpica, excavating below basal stem, KI, photo by Mark Hura Temognatha mitchellii, MAH 13030, female, ovipositing on larval host plant, Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. notocolpica, KI, photo by Mark Hura
Larval host plant
records sites SA regions¹ family adult deadadult ex pupapupapupa ex larvalarva
Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana223SL, SEC133114
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
C Casuarinaceae 22 100% 1
Position in larval host
positionrecordssitesadult deadadult ex pupapupapupa ex larvalarva
root1523219
root crown111
stem base111
stem414
dead stem111
Host plant notes

A.M.P. Stolarski discovered this species breeding in the roots and lower parts of Slaty Oak-bush (Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp. muelleriana) at two sites in the upper South-eastern Region. I found remains of a dead non-emerged adult in the base of a dead trunk of the same plant taxon on upper Fleurieu Peninsula. An amazing iNaturalist observation by M.A. Hura shows a female T. mitchellii excavating below the basal stem and apparently ovipositing on the Kangaroo Island subspecies, A. muelleriana ssp. notocolpica (see images above).

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.