Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Nascio vetusta   (Boisduval, 1835)
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Nascionini » subtribe  Nascionina
Nascio vetusta   Adult images
Nascio vetusta, PL1722, female, on Eucalyptus viminalis ssp. viminalis trunk, SL, 16.6 × 6.4 mm Nascio vetusta, PL1722, female, from Eucalyptus viminalis ssp. viminalis, SL, 16.6 × 6.4 mm Nascio vetusta, PL3809, female, on Eucalyptus obliqua bark, SL, 16.5 × 6.1 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190A, male, reared from pupa from Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 13.5 × 4.8 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190B, female, reared from pupa from Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 16.8 × 6.4 mm Nascio vetusta, PL3809, female, SL, 16.5 × 6.1 mm Nascio vetusta, PL3809, female, on Eucalyptus obliqua bark, SL, 16.5 × 6.1 mm Nascio vetusta, PL3809, female, on Eucalyptus obliqua bark, SL, 16.5 × 6.1 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190B, female, reared from pupa from Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 16.8 × 6.4 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190B, female, reared from pupa from Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 16.8 × 6.4 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190B, female, reared from pupa from Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 16.8 × 6.4 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190A, male, reared from pupa from Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 13.5 × 4.8 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190A, male, on Eucalyptus grandis trunk, reared from pupa, SL, 13.5 × 4.8 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190A, male, on Eucalyptus grandis trunk, reared from pupa, SL, 13.5 × 4.8 mm
Actual
size¹:
15.5 mm
×
5.8 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L113.8
13.5 – 14.2
n = 216.6
16.5 – 16.8
n = 3
L213.6
13.25 – 13.95
n = 216.3
16 – 16.5
n = 3
W5.1
4.8 – 5.4
n = 26.3
6.1 – 6.4
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
Nascio vetusta  Distinctive features

A distinctively marked beetle with straw-yellow and dark brown colouration and sculpted pronotum; nothing else in SA resembles it.

Notes

This is a south-eastern Australian species which in SA is confined to the higher rainfall areas.

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  SLKISE
Australian States:  SAVICNSW
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 Nascio vetusta  (total actual records: 23 beetles)
1 1
1 2
2 8 2 3
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 > 2 (median)
actual count <= 2 (median)
live non-emerged (inactive) beetles only
Adult host plants
beetles sites SA regions¹ family position on host plant
Eucalyptus sp.105SL, SEM
21SLM
11SLM
11SLM
11SL
Xanthorrhoea sp.11SLX
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 14 88% 3
U Unmatched 1 6% 1
X Xanthorrhoeaceae 1 6% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on foliage or non-flowering plant62
on plant (unspecified)42
other
  on bark21
  on dead branch11
  on trunk22
  under bark11
Nascio vetusta Breeding record images
Nascio vetusta, PL6172, larva, in Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, SL, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski Nascio vetusta, PL6172, larva, in Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, SL, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski Nascio vetusta, PL6172, larva, from Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, SL, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski Nascio vetusta, PL6172A, larva, from Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, dorsal, SL, 37.5 × 5.2 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6172A, larva, from Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, ventral, SL, 37.5 × 5.2 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6172A, larva, from Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, dorsal & ventral views, SL, 37.5 × 5.2 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6172A, larva, from Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, dorsal, SL, 37.5 × 5.2 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6172A, larva, from Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, ventral, SL, 37.5 × 5.2 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190Bx, pupa, in Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 18.6 × 8.0 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190Bx, pupa, in Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 18.6 × 8.0 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190, pupa, in Eucalyptus grandis trunk, four pupae in close proximity, exposed after bark removal, SL Nascio vetusta, PL6190, pupa, in Eucalyptus grandis trunk, four pupae in close proximity, exposed after bark removal, SL Nascio vetusta, PL6190D, pupa, in Eucalyptus grandis trunk, early stage (head damaged), SL, 17.2 × 8.2 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190, pupa, in Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL Nascio vetusta, PL6190Ax, male, pupa, from Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 15.1 × 6.7 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190Ax, male, pupa, from Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 15.1 × 6.7 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190Bx, female, pupa, from Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 18.6 × 8.0 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190A, male, reared adult, from pupa in Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 13.5 × 4.8 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6190B, female, reared adult, from pupa in Eucalyptus grandis trunk, SL, 16.8 × 6.4 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6170, dead non-emerged adult, in Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, in pupal chamber, SL, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 12.4 × 4.3 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6170, dead non-emerged adult, from Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, SL, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 12.4 × 4.3 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6170, dead non-emerged adult, from Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798) trunk, SL, 12.4 × 4.3 mm Nascio vetusta, PL6170, larval host plant, Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798), habitat, SL, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski Nascio vetusta, PL6172, larval host plant, Eucalyptus grandis (PL3798), habitat showing dying tree with shed bark, SL, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski
Larval host plant
records sites SA regions¹ family adult deadadult ex billetadult ex pupapupalarva
*Eucalyptus grandis161SLM11158
Legendrecordscount of breeding adults, pupae and larvae
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)
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 family
Code records % host plant taxa
M Myrtaceae 16 100% 1
Position in larval host
positionrecordssitesadult deadadult ex billetadult ex pupapupalarva
stem16111158
Host plant notes

Adults are often found on the trunks of Eucalypts with rough bark, including Stringybarks as well as species where the rough bark is mainly basal. One SA Museum specimen was collected from a planted Tuart, Eucalyptus gomphocephala, in the Adelaide Hills. It is more commonly found there on Messmate Stringybarks (E. obliqua).

Tepper 1887 reported the Stringybarks E. obliqua and E. baxteri (as E. capitellata) to be larval hosts, noting that 'the larva lives in the dry corky bark'. Another SA Eucalypt species, E. goniocalyx (Long-leaved Box) was identified as a larval host in NSW by Turner & Hawkeswood 1995a who found dead beetles in dry bark and larval and pupal chambers in bark and sapwood.

Pupae and larvae illustrated here were found in a small stand of planted Flooded Gum Eucalyptus grandis that appeared to be under stress. Pupal chambers were shallow, forming dish-like impressions in living wood immediately beneath the bark layer, and the pupae faced outwards. Frass-filled tunnels leading to the chambers had widely spaced darker bands. Somewhat similar frass traces but more strongly and tightly banded dark and light were prolific under the bark of several trees, but could not be linked to N. vetusta with certainty.

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.