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Beetles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER COLEOPTERA

Acmaeodera (Unknown Species)
Acmaeodera (Genus)

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Beetles (Order Coleoptera​​)

-​Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf, and Snout Beetles (Suborder Polyphaga)

-Elateriform Beetles (Infraorder Elateriformia)

-Superfamily Buprestoidea

-Jewel Beetles Family (Buprestidae)

-Subfamily Polycestinae

-Tribe Acmaeoderini

-Genus Acmaeodera


Acmaeodera is a genus of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae, specifically within the genus Acmaeodera. Known for their elongated, often brightly patterned bodies, members of this genus are commonly found in areas with abundant flowering plants. The larvae develop as wood-borers, feeding on the cambium or other woody tissues of trees and shrubs.They may target both living and dead wood, contributing to natural decomposition processes.

Diet

  • Larvae: Feed beneath the bark and within the wood of dead, dying, or stressed trees and shrubs, developing in a wide variety of hardwoods and occasionally conifers.

  • Adults: Feed primarily on pollen and nectar, and are commonly found visiting flowers. Some species also feed on foliage or tree sap.

Range

  • The genus Acmaeodera is distributed from southern Canada through the United States, Mexico, Central America, and into South America.

  • Mexico is one of the centres of diversity for the genus, with numerous species occurring throughout the country, including the Pacific coast of Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.

  • Most species are found in warm, dry regions.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, pine-oak woodlands, deserts, woodland edges, secondary forests, orchards, and flowering grasslands.

  • Larvae develop within the wood of dead or weakened trees and shrubs.

  • Adults are commonly encountered on flowers, sunlit logs, and tree trunks during warm, sunny weather.

Size

  • Adult length: 4–15 mm (0.16–0.6 in)

  • Body is typically elongated or wedge-shaped with a hard, sculptured exoskeleton.

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