CHRYSODEMA FORAMINIFERA
Metallic wood-boring beetle

Chrysodema is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae. Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheaded borers. The family is among the largest of the beetles, with some 15,500 species known in 775 genera,mostly distributed in tropical regions, that are among the most brilliantly coloured insects. In addition, almost 100 fossil species have been described.

The larger and more spectacularly colored jewel beetles are highly prized by insect collectors. The elytra of some Buprestidae species have been traditionally used in beetlewing jewellery and decoration in certain countries in Asia, like India, Thailand and Japan.

You can usually identify an adult jewel beetle by its characteristic shape: an elongate body, nearly oval in shape, but tapered at the hind end into a point. They’re hard-bodied and rather flat, with serrate antennae. The wing covers can be ridged or bumpy. Most jewel beetles measure less than 2 centimeters in length, but some can be quite large, reaching up to 10 centimeters. Jewel beetles vary in color from dull black and browns to bright purples and greens, and can have elaborate markings (or almost none at all).

Shape is generally cylindrical or elongate to ovoid, with lengths ranging from 3 to 80 mm, although most species are under 20 mm. Catoxantha, Chrysaspis, Euchroma and Megaloxantha contain the largest species. A variety of bright colors are known, often in complicated patterns. The iridescence common to these beetles is not due to pigments in the exoskeleton, but instead is caused by structural coloration, in which microscopic texture in their cuticle selectively reflects specific frequencies of light in particular directions. This is the same effect that makes a compact disc reflect multiple colors.

Adult jewel beetles mainly feed on plant foliage or nectar, although some species feed on pollen and can be observed visiting flowers. Jewel beetle larvae feed on the sapwood of trees and shrubs. Some buprestid larvae are leaf miners, and a few are gallmakers.

Like all beetles, jewel beetles undergo complete metamorphosis, with four life cycle stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Female buprestid adults usually deposit eggs on the host tree, in the crevices of bark. When the larvae hatch, they immediately tunnel into the tree. The larvae bore winding galleries in the wood as they feed and grow, and eventually pupate within the tree. Adults emerge and exit the tree.