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Epistomentis pictus
Golden eyed buprestid, with orange, yellow and black elytra with white hair on the under-side.
The biggest Chilean buprestid I've seen, sure there must be bigger ones.
Adults are 20-25mm long. Legs, antennae and body are glossy black. The prothorax has three yellow longitudinal bands and elytra are metallic yellow to orange or bronze and edged with black.
Larvae construct galleries in the inner bark and, occasionally, in the sapwood.
Valdivian temperate rain forests.
This is a relatively common insect. During summer, adults are often seen on bark of freshly cut wood, especially wood exposed to direct sunlight. Attacks usually occur in severely stressed, dying or freshly cut trees; but during dry periods, vigorous trees can be attacked.
Hosts are species of southern beeches. Nothofagus spp., including N. alpina. S. dombeyi. N. obliqua and N. pumilio.
Distribution E. pictus is the single represeniaiive of a South American genus of Buprestidae and is known from central Chile and Neuquen Province, Argentina.
Had seen one of these several years ago, always wanted to see it again and get a picture, this one landed on the clothes of a motorist we encountered on a deserted road heading to the mountains. Almost attacked the person to get the bug.
Now I've learnt that it's a quite common insect further north from that location.
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