Diet

• Adults: Primarily feed on leaves and tender plant tissues, although adult feeding has not been documented for many species.

• Larvae: Most species are leaf miners, developing within the tissues of leaves and sometimes stems of their host plants.

• The larval mines can appear as winding or irregular tunnels beneath the leaf surface, although the appearance varies by species.

Range

• Taphrocerus is a large genus of jewel beetles (Buprestidae), subfamily Agrilinae, tribe Tracheini. More than 190 species are recognised, occurring mainly throughout the Americas.

• Importantly for the Zihua area, Taphrocerus has been collected in Guerrero along the Coyuca de Catalán–Zihuatanejo road, demonstrating that the genus occurs in the local region.

• It is occasionally sighted in Zihua. Because these beetles are extremely small and often remain on or within foliage, they are probably more frequently present than casual observations suggest.

Habitat

• Found in tropical dry forest, tropical deciduous forest, woodland, scrub, forest edges and secondary vegetation.

• Adults are generally associated with living foliage, where they may be extremely difficult to see.

• Around Zihua, carefully examine sunny leaves on shrubs, vines and small trees, particularly leaves showing signs of mining or other internal feeding.

• Some Taphrocerus species are associated with specific host plants, so the distribution of suitable vegetation can strongly influence where individual species occur.

Size

• Adult length: generally approximately 2–6 mm (0.08–0.24 in), depending on species.

• Body small, narrow and somewhat wedge-shaped, typical of many Agrilinae.

• Often brown, black, bronze or metallic, with some species having contrasting pale markings.

• Their tiny size makes them considerably harder to notice than larger jewel beetles such as Chrysobothris or Lampetis.