Buprestis aurulenta

Buprestis aurulenta, commonly known as the golden jewel beetle^[1] or golden buprestid, is a species of beetle in the genus Buprestis.^[2]

Buprestis aurulenta
Adult
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Elateriformia
Family:	Buprestidae
Genus:	Buprestis
Species:	B. aurulenta
Binomial name
Buprestis aurulenta Linnaeus, 1767

The larvae of Buprestis aurulenta live inside a variety of coniferous trees and can survive for long periods in dry wood.^[3] The adult beetle is an iridescent green, with shining orange trim all around the wing covers.^[1]

The beetles are found in the Pacific Northwest as far north as southern British Columbia and southward through the Rocky Mountains to Mexico.^[4] They are rare in Alberta, and specimens have been collected in Manitoba.^[4]

On May 27, 1983, a golden jewel beetle emerged from a staircase in Essex, UK, after at least 47 years as a larva.^[5]