| Cypress Jewel Beetle (Ovalisia festiva (Linnaeus, 1767)) |
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Scientific name: Ovalisia festiva (Linnaeus, 1767) Common name: Cypress Jewel Beetle Other names: Other scientific names: Lampra festiva, Scintillatrix festiva, Palmar festiva. French name: Bupreste du genévrier, Scintillante jolie, Bupreste du thuya Order: Coleoptera Family: Buprestidae Wingspan : 8 to 12 mm. Biotope: Forests of Junipers or Cypress but also constructed areas with hedgerows of Thujas. Geographic area: North Africa, southern Europe, extending its range northwards. Observation period : May to September. |
The Cypress Jewel Beetle has an ovoid-shaped body. The head is partly located under the prothorax. The eyes are rather large. The short antennae have 11 articles. The general colour is metallic green with black patches. The pronotum shows two patches located in small shallow lateral depressions. The elytra also show dark patches from the base to the apex. They are longitudinally striated. Adults are active during the hottest hours of the day. Just after mating, females lay their eggs in crevices in the bark of trunks or branches. The larvae, which will over winter, drill galleries causing branches to die, or even causing the whole plant to die. The plant families which are affected are Cupressaceae, Tamaricaceae and Rhamnaceae. |
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I have observed this Cypress Jewel Beetle next to an isolated Thuja in my garden. This pictures shows the two dark patches on the pronotum located in small lateral depressions. |
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I have not observed any dead branches on the few Thujas of my garden and I have not observed this beautiful insect again either. If it may be considered as a pest in the south, the Cypress Jewel Beetle is listed on the protected insect list in Ile de France (region of Paris). |
André Bon August 2011