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Beetles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER COLEOPTERA

Acmaeodera scalaris
Acmaeodera scalaris

-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 scalaris


Acmaeodera scalaris is a species 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 weakened hardwood trees and shrubs, where they tunnel through the cambium and outer wood.

  • Adults: Feed primarily on pollen and nectar, frequently visiting flowers of shrubs and wildflowers. They may also feed occasionally on foliage.

Range

  • Native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America.

  • In Mexico, it is widespread in warm regions, including the Pacific coast of Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.

  • Most common in seasonally dry tropical and subtropical habitats.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, woodland edges, oak woodlands, secondary forests, and flowering clearings.

  • Larvae develop in dead or weakened branches and trunks of a variety of hardwood trees.

  • Adults are commonly found on sunlit flowers, logs, and exposed tree trunks during the warmer months.

Size

  • Adult length: 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in)

  • Body is elongated, wedge-shaped, and strongly sculptured.

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