Metallic Wood-boring Beetle

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NikonUser
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Location: southern New Brunswick, Canada

Metallic Wood-boring Beetle

Post by NikonUser »

Image

Coleoptera: Buprestidae; The Metallic Wood-boring Beetles or Jewel Beetles. This 18mm specimen is probably a Flat-headed Hardwood Borer (Dicerca divaricata). Heavily pitted body appears to be armor-plated.
Top photo: Flash angled to emphasize the metallic reflectivess of the body.
MF 105mm Micro Nikkor @ full extension, f/8 on lens, + 140mm extension. 50 frames @0.1mm HF4.1.

Bottom image to show body shape, flash diffused to minimize relections.
Recently aquired voucher specimen, 12x08.
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

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Olympus microscope and objectives

rovebeetle
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Re: Metallic Wood-boring Beetle

Post by rovebeetle »

Beautiful - you have many more Dicerca species in N-America than we have in Europe.
NikonUser wrote:Heavily pitted body appears to be armor-plated.
I can confirm that - I once tried to pin a Capnodis sp. from the Mediterranean. I applied such a pressure that the round end of the pin penetrated my finger while the acute end had hardly made a dent into the integument of the beetle :?

Cheers
Harry

NikonUser
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Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:03 am
Location: southern New Brunswick, Canada

Re: Metallic Wood-boring Beetle

Post by NikonUser »

rovebeetle wrote:Beautiful - you have many more Dicerca species in N-America than we have in Europe.
Thanks Harry. This seems to be the most frequently seen species but they are nowhere near as common as Cerambycids, especially Monochamus scutellatus
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives

beetleman
Posts: 3578
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:19 am
Location: Southern New Hampshire USA

Post by beetleman »

Excellent detail on the metallic surface. My second favorite group of beetles (Tigers are my first).
Take Nothing but Pictures--Leave Nothing but Footprints.
Doug Breda

Tom Stack
Posts: 61
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:50 am
Location: Florida Keys, USA

Post by Tom Stack »

NU,

Absolutely beautiful, almost looks golden! Well done!

Tom

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