Temognatha alternata is endemic to Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Little is known of this spectacular beetle which has never been formally described, as the name is taken from that given by Lumholtz (1889, 1980) without any description.

Description

Temognatha attenuata is a beautiful jewel beetle which grows to 26 mm. It is easily recognisable with its bright yellow and red bands on greenish-blue wing covers. The head and thorax are dark blue-green. The wing covers are lined with rows of fine pits along their length giving it a furrowed appearance.

Biology and Habitat

There are no recorded larval host-plants. The adult host-plants include: Eucalyptus gummifera (Gaertn.) Hochr. (Myrtaceae)(Brooks, 1948); and Eucalyptus polycarpa F. Muell. (Myrtaceae)(Brooks, 1969).

"Lumholtz (1889: p. 197, 1980: p. 239) briefly noted that he collected adults of this species [cited as Stigmodera alternata] amongst grass (?) near the Herbert River

Herbert River

The Herbert River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The southernmost of Queensland's wet tropics river systems, it is named after Robert George Wyndham Herbert , the first Premier of Queensland...

, northern Queensland near the end of December 1882; it is obvious that Lumholtz must have collected dead or dying beetles since these buprestids do not inhabit nor feed on grasses. Nothing further was recorded on the biology of this species until Brooks (1948) recorded adults [as Castiarina alternata Lumh.] feeding from the flowers of Eucalyptus gummifera (Gaertn.) Hochr. in the Cairns-Mareeba area of north-eastern Queensland. Later Brooks (1969) recorded this species [as Castiarina alternata Lumh.] feeding from the flowers of Eucalyptus polycarpa F. Muell. [cited incorrectly as Eucalyptus polycarpha F.v.M.] in the Bowen-Ayr-Mt. Molloy area of north-eastern Queensland. Life-stages: The egg, larva and pupa have not been described. Published collection records with biological data: None available."

External links

• OzAnimals.com Australian Wildlife. "Jewel Beetle (Temognatha alternata)." http://www.ozanimals.com/Insect/Jewel-Beetle/Temognatha/alternata.html
• Stunning photos of Temognatha species. http://www.virtual-beetles.com/themognatha.html
• Aesthetic Australian Insects. http://www.aainsects.com.au/bupres.html