Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Castiarina rufipennis   (Kirby, 1818)
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Stigmoderini » subtribe  Stigmoderina
Castiarina  species group: rufipennis
Castiarina rufipennis   Adult images
Castiarina rufipennis, PL0256, on Leptospermum myrsinoides, SL, 15.3 × 5.7 mm Castiarina rufipennis, PL2729, on Grevillea pterosperma, EP Castiarina rufipennis, PL2729, on Grevillea pterosperma, EP Castiarina rufipennis, PL0210, male, on Leptospermum myrsinoides, SL, 13.2 × 5.1 mm Castiarina rufipennis, PL0210, male, on Leptospermum myrsinoides, SL, 13.2 × 5.1 mm Castiarina rufipennis, PL0210, male, on Leptospermum myrsinoides, SL, 13.2 × 5.1 mm Castiarina rufipennis, PL3092, male, SL, 13.8 × 5.3 mm Castiarina rufipennis, PL0256, from Leptospermum myrsinoides, SL, 15.3 × 5.7 mm Castiarina rufipennis, PL0256, from Leptospermum myrsinoides, SL, 15.3 × 5.7 mm Castiarina rufipennis, PL0305, male, on Hysterobaeckea behrii, EP, 13.1 × 4.8 mm Castiarina rufipennis, PL0305, male, on Hysterobaeckea behrii, EP, 13.1 × 4.8 mm
Actual
size¹:
13.5 mm
×
5.0 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L113.0
10.4 – 15.6
n = 1414.9
11.4 – 17.1
n = 5
L212.3
10.2 – 13.6
n = 615.9
15.05 – 16.7
n = 2
W4.8
3.7 – 6.2
n = 145.7
4.1 – 6.75
n = 5
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 rufipennis  Distinctive features

Pronotum black & shiny with sparse shallow fine punctures and a large pit towards each posterior corner. Ventral side black with blue reflections. Apical sternite with bifurcate projection in female. Tarsi large.

Notes

A Lycid beetle mimic. (Notes about this mimicry series are provided under Castiarina erythroptera.)

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  FREPNLMUSLKISE
Australian States:  WASATASVICNSWQLD
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 rufipennis  (total of 159 beetles)
2 2 27
8 9 31 7
32 2 9 19
4 6
1
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Legend
live emerged adults, count > median value of 8 per quarter month
live emerged adults, count <= median value of 8
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
709SL, KI, SEM
Leptospermum sp.186SL, KIM
164EPP1
Myoporum platycarpum101MUS1
74SLP2
53EP, MU, SEM
54MU, SEM
43SLM
41EPS1
Myrtaceae sp.42SL, KIM
11MUF
11SEF
11FRF
11SLM
11EPM
11KIM
11SLS2
*Kunzea ambigua11SLM
11SLM
Legendbeetlescount of beetles collected from, or sighted on, host plant taxon
sitescount of major sites (unique 10 km grid cells +/- some distinct approximate localities)
*indicates alien (non-native) plant occurrences, either wild or planted (the species may be alien in SA, or native in parts of its SA range)
Plant names in green are hyperlinked to a matching host species page with plant photos.
Plant family
Code beetles % host plant taxa
M Myrtaceae 110 73% 8
P1 Proteaceae 16 11% 1
S1 Scrophulariaceae 14 9% 2
P2 Pittosporaceae 7 5% 1
F Fabaceae 3 2% 3
S2 Santalaceae 1 1% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on flower(s)12123
on flowering plant106
on foliage or non-flowering plant44
on plant (unspecified)1610
other
  on stems11
Lure affinity
colour beetles sites SA regions¹
blue32MU, SE
orange21SE
yellow21SE
light pink11SE
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.