Jewel Beetle

Description:

This is Chrysodema sp. I previously had this specimen catalogued as Chrysodema manillarum Thomson, 1879, but my sources were websites which are no longer available (insectoid.info & salagubang.net) Now I am struggling to find an illustration which exactly matches my specimen. The predominant colour appears to be green (at first glance), but a closer look reveals that the main colouring is very dark, almost black with bright iridescent green sprinkled all over it. The green forms a large irregular, solid spot on each side of the thorax. Even the eyes are dark with numerous flacks of yellowish green. There is a dark band or collar between the head and the thorax. I love the iridescence that we see on so many insects and spiders, but my poor photographic skills always let me down. I can never quite catch that "sparkle" and words don't do it sufficient justice.

Habitat:

This Chrysodema sp. was spotted in a rice field before the planting season when the ground has become covered in a tangled mass of all kinds of grasses and foliage. I had not quite gotten as many pictures as I wanted when it suddenly took off and landed high up on a Mahogany tree. When I found out, later that day, it was from the Family Buprestidae Leach, 1815 (Iridescent Wood-boring Beetles) that made sense.

Notes:

There is an interesting, short paper (the publication date is not given, only the date when it was introduced to the Bulletin of the Nat. Sci. Mus., Tokyo on Mar. 22, 1989) It is available to download on https://www.kahaku.go.jp/research/public.... It mentions "C. manillarum extends its distribution to Formosa and the Ryukus", but if I remember correctly, Formosa changed its name to Taiwan in 1949 so the fact that it mentions Formosa makes it pre. 1949. A lot can change in 70 years so it is interesting, but perhaps it could confuse rather than inform. However it is only 4 pages if anyone wants to have a look.