Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Astraeus major   Blackburn, 1890
subfamily  Polycestinae » tribe  Astraeini » subtribe  Astraeina
Astraeus major   Adult images
Astraeus major, PL5374, male, on larval host species Eucalyptus leptophylla for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, male, on larval host species Eucalyptus leptophylla for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, male, on larval host species Eucalyptus leptophylla for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, male, on larval host species Eucalyptus leptophylla for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, male, from Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, male, from Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, SAMA 25-019840, female, MU, 16.9 × 7.3 mm Astraeus major, SAMA 25-019840, female, MU, 16.9 × 7.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, male, on larval host species Eucalyptus leptophylla for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, male, on larval host species Eucalyptus leptophylla for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, male, on larval host species Eucalyptus leptophylla for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, male, on larval host species Eucalyptus leptophylla for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, male, on larval host species Eucalyptus leptophylla for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm
Actual
size¹:
15.4 mm
×
6.4 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L114.9
14.55 – 15.4
 n = 316.9
 n = 1
L214.7
14.3 – 15.2
 n = 316.6
 n = 1
W6.1
5.9 – 6.25
 n = 37.3
 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
Astraeus major  Distinctive features

A large convex species, with varying degrees of yellow to red in the horizontal elytral lacunae.

Notes

This is a widely distributed but infrequently encountered species. It was described by Blackburn 1890a based South Australian type specimens, one taken by J.G.O. Tepper from Monarto (in the MU Region), the other in Blackburn's own collection.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  EP,  NL,  MU,  SE
Australian States:  WA,  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 Astraeus major  (total actual records: 3 beetles)
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
actual count > 1.5 (mean)
actual count <= 1.5 (mean)
live non-emerged (inactive) beetles only
Adult host plant
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
Eucalyptus sp.11MUM
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
M Myrtaceae 1 100% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on plant (unspecified)11
Astraeus major Breeding record images
Astraeus major, PL4857, larva, from Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, immature in dorsal view, SE, 14.1 × 2.7 mm Astraeus major, PL4857, larva, from Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, immature in ventral view, SE, 14.1 × 2.7 mm Astraeus major, PL4746A, larva, in Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, split halves opened out, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 35.5 × 5.9 mm Astraeus major, PL4746A, larva, in Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 35.5 × 5.9 mm Astraeus major, PL4746A, larva, from Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 35.5 × 5.9 mm Astraeus major, PL4746C, larva, from Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, ventral view, SE, 34.5 × 6.2 mm Astraeus major, PL4746C, larva, from Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, ventral view, SE, 34.5 × 6.2 mm Astraeus major, PL4746C, larva, from Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, ventral, SE, 34.5 × 6.2 mm Astraeus major, PL4764, larva, from Eucalyptus porosa stem, dorsal view, SE, 33.8 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL4764, larva, from Eucalyptus porosa stem, dorsal view, SE, 33.8 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL4764, larva, from Eucalyptus porosa stem, dorsal view, SE, 33.8 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL4764, larva, from Eucalyptus porosa stem, dorsal view, SE, 33.8 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, reared adult, in Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, reared from observed larva and extracted from billet, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, reared adult, in Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, reared from observed larva and extracted from billet, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, reared adult, from Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, reared adult, on larval host Eucalyptus leptophylla decaying stem for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, reared adult, on larval host Eucalyptus leptophylla decaying stem for photo, SE, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5501, reared adult, in Eucalyptus leptophylla decaying stem, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 14.7 × 5.9 mm Astraeus major, PL5501, male, reared adult, from Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, 14.7 × 5.9 mm Astraeus major, PL4975, dead non-emerged adult, from Eucalyptus leptophylla rotting stem core with frass, SE Astraeus major, PL5374, larval host plant, Eucalyptus leptophylla stem with exit hole, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 15.4 × 6.3 mm Astraeus major, PL5374, larval host plant, Eucalyptus leptophylla exit hole, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 15.4 × 6.3 mm
Larval host plants
records sites SA regions¹ family adult deadadult ex pupalarva
Eucalyptus leptophylla112SEM128
Eucalyptus porosa11SEM1
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 12 100% 2
Position in larval host
positionrecordssitesadult deadadult ex pupalarva
stem10228
dead stem2111
Host plant notes

Blackburn 1890a notes that the type specimen from Monarto was taken by Tepper 'on Eucalyptus flowers', and Goudie 1920 reported it being taken on mallee [Eucalyptus] foliage in October in north-western Victoria.

Large 35 mm long larvae were discovered by A.M.P. Stolarski in decaying soft fungus-infected wood in the centre of live but stressed stems of Narrow-leaf Mallee (Eucalyptus leptophylla) in July 2020, and later in similarly affected Mallee Box (E. porosa) also. They were identifiable as Astraeus, and then eventually confirmed as A. major after the discovery of an elytral fragment in December 2020 and the rearing of the first adult in E. leptophylla billets in August 2021.

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.