Buprestidae of South Australia
( Jewel beetles )
by Peter J. Lang
Pseudanilara purpureicollis   (Macleay, 1872)
subfamily  Buprestinae » tribe  Curidini » subtribe  Neocurina
Pseudanilara purpureicollis   Adult images
Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL2991C, female, on dead Acacia notabilis, SL, 5.2 × 2.0 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL2991C, female, on dead Acacia notabilis, SL, 5.2 × 2.0 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5553C, male, reared from prepupa ex dead Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, 6.7 × 2.6 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5553A, male, reared from prepupa ex dead Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, 7.0 × 2.8 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5705, female, from Allocasuarina helmsii (PJL 3623) dead stem as pupa (reared adult), EP, 7.0 × 2.8 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5705, female, from Allocasuarina helmsii (PJL 3623) dead stem as pupa, with more intense colour 3 months after eclosure, EP, 7.0 × 2.8 mm
Actual
size¹:
6.6 mm
×
2.8 mm
Measurements (mm)
malefemale
L16.4
4.65 – 7.3
 n = 76.7
4.3 – 8.15
 n = 25
L26.4
5 – 7.2
 n = 56.7
4.25 – 7.9
 n = 23
W2.6
1.85 – 3.25
 n = 72.8
1.7 – 5.3
 n = 25
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
Pseudanilara purpureicollis  Distinctive features

Whitish sub-appressed hairs on frons; widespread grey-purple or grey-violet colouration, especially on the pronotum, combined with areas of green to blue reflections.

Notes

A diverse array of specimens with much variation in size and colouration have been referred to this name in Australian museums, and there may be more than one species involved. Specimens from the Adelaide area tend to be smaller and less colourful than those from elsewhere in SA.

The type on which MacLeay 1872 based his description was from Gayndah in the SE part of Queensland. He describes the general appearance as black, the forehead (frons) as being 'clothed with white pubescence', the thorax (pronotum) purple, the underside as brassy and subnitid (not strongly shiny), and gives the length as 2.75 lines (c. 5.8 mm).

Distribution
SA Regions¹:  NW?,  EP,  MU,  SL,  KI,  SE
Australian States:  SA,  VIC,  TAS,  NSW,  QLD
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 Pseudanilara purpureicollis  (total of 32 beetles)
1
1
9 15
2
3
1
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 sp.231KIM
*Acacia notabilis31SL
Eucalyptus microcarpa11SLM
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 24 100% 1
Position on adult host
positionbeetlessites
on dead foliage272
Lure affinity
colour beetles sites SA regions¹
white114SL, SE
light pink54GT, SE
yellow32SL, SE
red31SE
blue11SE
dark violet11SE
Pseudanilara purpureicollis Breeding record images
Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5694, larva, in Allocasuarina helmsii dead stem, EP, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 5.4 × 1.8 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5706B, larva, in Allocasuarina helmsii (PJL 3623) dead stem, dorsal & ventral views, EP, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 6.7 × 2.5 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5706A, larva, in Allocasuarina helmsii (PJL 3623) dead stem, dorsal view, EP, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 13.1 × 4.9 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5706A, larva, in Allocasuarina helmsii (PJL 3623) dead stem, dorsal & ventral views, EP, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 13.1 × 4.9 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5553Axx, prepupa, in dead Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5696x, prepupa, in Allocasuarina helmsii dead stem, EP, 12.1 × 3.3 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5696x, prepupa, in Allocasuarina helmsii dead stem, EP, 12.1 × 3.3 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5696x, prepupa, from Allocasuarina helmsii dead stem, EP, 12.1 × 3.3 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5696x, prepupa, from Allocasuarina helmsii dead stem, EP, 12.1 × 3.3 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5553Ax, pupa, reared from prepupa ex dead Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, 7.8 × 3.4 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5553Bx, pupa, reared from prepupa ex dead Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, 8.0 × 3.4 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5553Cx, pupa, reared from prepupa ex dead Eucalyptus leptophylla stem, SE, 7.4 × 3.2 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5705x, pupa, in Allocasuarina helmsii dead stem (PJL 3623), EP, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 8.2 × 3.3 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5705x, female, pupa, in Allocasuarina helmsii dead stem (PJL 3623), EP, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 8.2 × 3.3 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5695x, male, pupa, from Allocasuarina helmsii dead stem, photo on 11 Nov 2022, EP, 8.8 × 3.8 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5705x, female, pupa, from Allocasuarina helmsii (PJL 3623) dead stem, photo on 29 Dec 2022, EP, 8.2 × 3.3 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5553C, male, reared adult, from Eucalyptus leptophylla dead stem as prepupa, SE, 6.7 × 2.6 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5553A, male, reared adult, from Eucalyptus leptophylla dead stem as prepupa, SE, 7.0 × 2.8 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5695, male, reared adult, from Allocasuarina helmsii dead stem as pupa, dead & incompletely formed on 21 Dec 2022, EP, 7.0 × 3.3 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5705, female, reared adult, from Allocasuarina helmsii (PJL 3623) dead stem as pupa, EP, 7.0 × 2.8 mm Pseudanilara purpureicollis, PL5705, larval host plant, Allocasuarina helmsii dead stem (PJL 3623), larval tunnel (left) & pupal chamber entrance (arrowed), EP, photo by A.M.P. Stolarski, 7.0 × 2.8 mm
Larval host plants
records sites SA regions¹ family adult ex billetadult ex pupapupapupa ex larvalarva
Allocasuarina helmsii111EPC12314
Eucalyptus leptophylla91SEM333
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
C Casuarinaceae 11 55% 1
M Myrtaceae 9 45% 1
Position in larval host
positionrecordssitesadult ex billetadult ex pupapupapupa ex larvalarva
dead stem20215347
Host plant notes

I reared three adults of this species from prepupal larvae extracted by A.M.P. Stolarski from stems of a dead Eucalyptus leptophylla (Narrow-leaf Mallee). These are the first breeding records reported for the species.

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.