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Beetles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER COLEOPTERA

Agrilus divaricatus
Agrilus divaricatus

-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 Agrilinae

-Tribe Agrilini

-Genus Agrilus

-Agrilus divaricatus


Agrilus divaricatus is a species of jewel beetle in the genus Agrilus, which belongs to the family Buprestidae. Like other beetles in this genus, Agrilus divaricatus is known for its metallic sheen and wood-boring larvae, which can cause damage to trees. Like many other Agrilus species, the larvae of Agrilus obsoletoguttatus are wood borers. They tunnel beneath the bark of trees and feed on the phloem and xylem, which can lead to tree damage. This feeding behaviour disrupts the water and nutrient transport in the tree, potentially weakening or killing it.

Diet

  • Larvae: Feed beneath the bark of living, stressed, or recently dead trees and shrubs, tunnelling through the cambium and outer sapwood.

  • Adults: Feed primarily on host plant foliage, and may also feed on young shoots and flowers.

Range

  • Native to Mexico and Central America.

  • In Mexico, it has been recorded from warm regions along the Pacific slope, including Guerrero, and may be encountered in the Zihuatanejo region.

  • Occurs in tropical and subtropical forests.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, tropical semi-deciduous forests, woodland edges, thorn scrub, and secondary forests.

  • Larvae develop beneath the bark of woody trees and shrubs.

  • Adults are most often found on host plant foliage, sunlit branches, and occasionally on flowers.

Size

  • Adult length: 5–9 mm (0.2–0.35 in)

  • Body slender, elongated, and wedge-shaped with the hard, metallic exoskeleton typical of jewel beetles.

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