Limbata jewel beetle at Tharwa, ACT
Identification history
| Temognatha limbata | 29 Jan 2025 | MarkH | ||
| Temognatha affinis | 28 Jan 2025 | Harrisi |
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6 comments
Harrisi
wrote:
30 Jan 2025
Hi Mark. I just read an excerpt from Saunder's 1868 paper describing (then Stigmodera, now Temognatha) affinis and limbata. He mentions the latter having a more punctate (thorax) pronotum as well as subjective observations around shape of the elytra. Looking at available images, mainly here and on ALA, I am having problems differentiating the two species. Initially I though the more prominent suture on T. limbata was indicative though this is not consistent between images that have been identified. May I ask what feature/s helped you ID this beetle as T. limbata?
MarkH
wrote:
30 Jan 2025
Did you keep the specimen Stuart ?
The only way to properly identify so many of these species is by comparing all aspects of the specimen by turning it slowly and looking at angles, shapes etc.
I’ve never seen an affinis with a wide green suture combined with the bright red pronotal margins. The punctuation on limbata pronotum is finer and the pronotal shape is different (you have to look at the species side by side from directly above).
I haven’t seen limbata from that far south before however it certainly wouldn’t surprise me.
Cheers
The only way to properly identify so many of these species is by comparing all aspects of the specimen by turning it slowly and looking at angles, shapes etc.
I’ve never seen an affinis with a wide green suture combined with the bright red pronotal margins. The punctuation on limbata pronotum is finer and the pronotal shape is different (you have to look at the species side by side from directly above).
I haven’t seen limbata from that far south before however it certainly wouldn’t surprise me.
Cheers
entom2
wrote:
30 Jan 2025
Definitely Temognatha limbata, no question. This is the same 'red-margined' form of Temognatha limbata that I have encountered in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. The metallic green along the elytra suture is modestly variable, and in this specimen the width is within expected parameters. At lower altitudes the pronotal margins are mostly yellow in this species. The punctuations on the pronotum of Temognatha limbata are quite distinctive - as suggested, the punctuations are much finer in Temognatha affinis, which has a flatter body shape including the pronotum and, unlike in Temognatha limbata, Temognatha affinis has elytra that are distinctively bispinose apically. Cheers, Allen M. Sundholm
Harrisi
wrote:
31 Jan 2025
Thanks for further quality input Allen, quite a luxury we have your and Mark's (and Kim's) wisdom applied to our jewel beetle sightings. According to ALA, this is the southernmost record of this species.
entom2
wrote:
1 Feb 2025
No worries Stuart! I like to know about such extra-limital records (which we can now consider as being 'within limits', ha!), so good work! Providing an ID with a high confidence highlights the importance of having as comprehensive as possible a private reference collection, preferably with multiples of each species that have been reliably identified, that can one can look at in mere moments, compared to public collections that take an enormous amount of time, money, and energy to visit in order to look at specimens, which may or may not have the species you want to look at! Of course, in cases of uncertainty / if the original descriptions are inadequate, one must try to look at the type specimen / syntypes, where accessible, but not always possible / affordable, as the types of many Australian species are in Europe! Cheers, Allen
Location information
- Coordinates 148.950516-35.474944
- Maps Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
- Places Tharwa, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 28 Jan 2025 05:38 PM Recorded on
- Harrisi Recorded by
-
Collections
Harrisi NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Temognatha limbata Jewel beetles (Buprestidae) Beetles (Coleoptera) Insects
Additional information
- Bursaria spinosa Associated plant
- 25mm to 50mm Animal size
- Alive / healthy Animal health
- True Insect on a flower
Species information
- Temognatha limbata Scientific name
- Limbata jewel beetle Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Rare or uncommon native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 767.69m Recorded at altitude
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes