Acmaeodera tuta

Metallic Wood-Boring Beetle

Introduction:

Acmaeodera tuta is a captivating species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, highly adapted to the xeric conditions of North American deserts. Renowned for its intricate yellow-and-black elytra patterns, this beetle plays an important ecological role as a wood decomposer in larval stages and a active desert pollinator as an adult during warm sunny weather.
Life Cycle: Adults lay eggs on host woody plants. Larvae bore into stems and wood to feed, then pupate within internal chambers before emerging as adult beetles.

Size 0.35 to 0.45 in (0.9 to 1.1 cm)
Sexual Dimorphism: Females are often slightly larger with broader abdomens, while males exhibit slightly narrower bodies.
Metamorphosis: complete (egg, larva, pupa, adult)

Insect Data

Names and Taxonomy

Common Names: Metallic Wood-Boring Beetle
Synonyms: Acmaeodera duboisi, Acmaeodera moronga, Acmaeodera rubrosuffusa
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles (Buprestidae)
Genus Information: Number of Species, 32 in NV, 63 in CA, 45 in AZ, 145 in US

Distribution

Distribution: AZ, CA, NV, UT, NM, TX
Seen: Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, Death Valley
Habitat: Desert scrub, wash margins, arid canyons, creosote bush communities, 1,000 ft (305 m) to 5,500 ft (1,676 m)
Food: Larvae feed inside dead or dying branches of desert hardwoods and shrubs, while adults feed on pollen and nectar from desert blossoms.