Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum  
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Chrysobothrini » subtribe  Chrysobothrina
Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum   Adult images
Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692A, female, on Westringia rigida root (with top of gall lower right), (reared adult ), EP, 10.8 × 4.5 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, on Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root, cut from gall 1 Mar 2023, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692A, female, on Westringia rigida root (with gall on right), ( reared adult ), EP, 10.8 × 4.5 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692A, female,  from Westringia rigida root gall (reared adult ), EP, 10.8 × 4.5 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, from Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root gall, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692C, male, from Westringia rigida root gall, reared but died inside gall, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692C, male, from Westringia rigida root gall, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692C, male, from Westringia rigida root gall, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692C, male, showing non-carinate apical ventrite, weakly bidentate with shallow incision, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692A, female, ovipositor detail, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692A, female, showing apical ventrite largely non-carinate with weakly bidentate obtuse-convex apex, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, showing apical ventrite with median carina and weakly bidentate truncate-convex apex, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL0237, found dead, LE, 13.0 × 5.6 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692A, female, on Westringia rigida root, (reared adult ), EP, 10.8 × 4.5 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, on Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root, cut from gall 1 Mar 2023, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692A, female, from Westringia rigida root gall, (reared adult ), EP, 10.8 × 4.5 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692A, female, from Westringia rigida root gall, (reared adult ), EP, 10.8 × 4.5 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, from Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root gall, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, from Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root gall, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm
Actual
size¹:
10.2 mm
×
4.3 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L111.2
11.05 – 11.25
n = 39.3
8.2 – 10.8
n = 3
L211.0
10.9 – 11.15
n = 39.2
8.05 – 10.65
n = 3
W4.5
4.3 – 4.65
n = 34.0
3.55 – 4.5
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
Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum  Distinctive features

Smaller and lighter in colour than C. saundersii. Frons relatively plain and of even relief, covered by regularly spaced puncturation; inner margins of eyes in frontal view only weakly diverging towards the base (ventral side) or becoming parallel. Sides of pronotum weakly bidentate, gently bilobed, or shallowly and broadly notched, similar to that of C. caelatus but without strong rugosities. Some resemblance to C. amplicollis but pronotum sides not straight and generally widest in posterior rather than in anterior, flange on fore-tibia less developed, and head lacking a strong impression on vertex of frons. Area around junction of meso- and meta-sternal plates not differentiated in colour but bronze like rest of ventral side (unlike C. amplicollis, C. saundersii and C. subsimilis where it is sharply demarcated and pale yellowish, at least when young). Apical abdominal ventrite without median carina in male (and sometimes in female), its apex weakly bidentate with shallow concave incision in male and weakly convex profile in female.

Notes

Widespread in SA, but sparsely collected. Records include four dead salt lake specimens from eastern Eyre Peninsula collected by P. Hudson in 1999, and six reared adults from western Eyre Peninsula.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  LEEPMU
Australian States:  WASA
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 Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum  (total actual records: 3 beetles)
1
2
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
Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum Breeding record images
Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5673D, larva, in Westringia rigida root (PJL 3610B), ventral, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5673D, larva, in Westringia rigida root (PJL 3610B), dorsal, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5673D, larva, in Westringia rigida root (PJL 3610B), dorsal, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5673D, larva, in Westringia rigida root (PJL 3610B), dorsal, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5673D, larva, in Westringia rigida root (PJL 3610B), dorsal, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5691x, male, pupa, from Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root gall (as prepupa), EP, 13.1 × 5.5 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, reared adult, on Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root, (cut from gall on 1 Mar 2023), EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, non-emerged adult, in Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root gall, before dissection, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, non-emerged adult, in Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root gall, partially cut open, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, non-emerged adult, in Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root gall, partially cut open, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, female, non-emerged adult, in Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) root gall, partially cut open, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692C, male, dead non-emerged adult, in Westringia rigida root gall, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692C, male, dead non-emerged adult, in Westringia rigida root gall, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692C, male, dead non-emerged adult, in Westringia rigida root gall, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5692C, male, dead non-emerged adult, from Westringia rigida root gall, reared but died inside gall, EP Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690, larval host plant, Westringia rigida (PJL 3621), EP, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690, larval host plant, Westringia rigida (PJL 3621), EP, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, larval host plant, Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) uprooted showing galls, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, larval host plant, Westringia rigida (PJL 3621) uprooted showing galls, EP, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5690I, larval host plant, Westringia rigida (PJL 3621), gall on tap root, EP, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 8.9 × 3.9 mm Chrysobothris sp. Bidentate pronotum, PL5673, larval host plant, Westringia rigida (PJL 3610B) with root gall arrowed, EP
Larval host plant
records sites SA regions¹ family adult ex billetadult ex pupapupapupa ex larvalarva
242EPL421116
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
L Lamiaceae 24 100% 1
Position in larval host
positionrecordssitesadult ex billetadult ex pupapupapupa ex larvalarva
root111
root gall21142114
root crown2211
Host plant notes

Discovered breeding in Stiff Westringia Westringia rigida on western Eyre Peninsula by A. Stolarski and me in November 2022. Records of 14 larvae, a pupa and six adults were obtained from two sites three km apart, and, at another site 59 km away, a matching larva was found in the same host species. The larvae were found in the tap root, mostly within gall-like swellings which were hollowed out and largely filled with frass.

Chrysobothris larvae obtained from Slender Westringia Westringia eremicola root crowns in the upper SE and central EP Regions are possibly the same species. However, it is clear that plants of other genera must also be used as larval hosts, because an individual specimen of C. sp. Bidentate pronotum that I collected as a dead specimen in the far north-east of SA falls well outside the range of the three Westringia species found in this State.

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.