Castiarina testacea

2 A eucalyptus bud mimic jewel beetle at suppressed

Castiarina testacea at suppressed - 3 Jan 2021
Castiarina testacea at suppressed - 3 Jan 2021
Castiarina testacea at suppressed - 3 Jan 2021
Castiarina testacea at suppressed - 3 Jan 2021
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Identification history

Castiarina testacea 4 Jan 2021 MichaelMulvaney
Castiarina testacea 4 Jan 2021 Harrisi

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User's notes

Big thanks and kudos to Luke 'Natureguy' Downey who found the first CNM record of this sp. whilst on a bike ride the other day and noticing some profusely flowering Bursaria. I followed Luke's hot tip up soon after and was thrilled to see this most interesting jewel beetle. It is a eucalyptus bud mimic, ie, when it is head down-bum up feeding in euc flowers, its abdomen looks like a unopened euc bud, reducing the risk of predation. The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) has the last and only records for the ACT being 1955 ! This season is really seeing some amazing diversity in the jewel beetles that are emerging following well timed rains throughout 2020. There was some positives in the annus horribilis after all :)

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Sighting information

  • 1 - 3 Abundance
  • 3 Jan 2021 11:54 PM Recorded on
  • Harrisi Recorded by

Additional information

  • Bursaria sp. Associated plant
  • 5mm to 12mm Animal size

Species information

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Confirmed by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
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