Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Castiarina piliventris   (Saunders, 1868)
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Stigmoderini » subtribe  Stigmoderina
Castiarina  species group: sexplagiata
Castiarina piliventris   Adult images
Castiarina piliventris, PL2876, male, KI, 12.0 × 4.2 mm Castiarina piliventris, PL2876, male, KI, 12.0 × 4.2 mm Castiarina piliventris, PL2881, on Eucalyptus sp., KI, 11.2 × 4.0 mm Castiarina piliventris, PL1682, female, from flowering Leptospermum continentale, KI, 12.2 × 4.7 mm Castiarina piliventris, PL2881, male, from flowering Eucalyptus remota, KI, 11.2 × 4.0 mm Castiarina piliventris, DAY185C, KI
Actual
size¹:
11.6 mm
×
4.3 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L111.6
11.2 – 12
 n = 411.6
11.1 – 12.2
 n = 3
L211.2
10.9 – 11.5
 n = 211.8
 n = 1
W4.2
4 – 4.45
 n = 44.4
4.2 – 4.7
 n = 3
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
Castiarina piliventris  Distinctive features

Aside from the diagnostic traits of the C. sexplagiata group (extreme reduction of tarsal pads on all but the last segment, elytra with a granular or velvety sheen, and the triangular aedeagus), C. piliventris is characterised here by the elytra having red background and the anterior fascia being complete, or largely so. Intergrades may approach C. keyzeri in some characters.

Notes

See under the closely related C. keyzeri for a discussion of variability in C. piliventris and its relationship to that species. Castiarina piliventris as defined here has a more southerly distribution than C. keyzeri.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  YP?,  KI
Australian States:  SA,  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 Castiarina piliventris  (total of 81 beetles)
16
1 33 2 16
1 3 1
1 2
5
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Legend
live emerged adults, count > median value of 2 per quarter month
live emerged adults, count <= median value of 2
live non-emerged adults only, for that quarter month
12
number of active beetles for that quarter month
Adult host plants
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
Eucalyptus rugosa342KIM
Melaleuca lanceolata72KIM
Eucalyptus remota51KIM
Leptospermum sp.42KIM
Melaleuca brevifolia41KIM
Eucalyptus albopurpurea31KIM
Leptospermum continentale32KIM
Eucalyptus diversifolia ssp. diversifolia11KIM
Eucalyptus sp.11EPM
Myoporum sp.11KIS
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 62 98% 7
S Scrophulariaceae 1 2% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on flower(s)53
on flowering plant167
on foliage or non-flowering plant21
on plant (unspecified)404
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.