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Photo#119413
Small gray and white buprestid - Spectralia gracilipes
Copyright © 2007 john and jane balaban

Small gray and white buprestid - Spectralia gracilipes
Harms Woods Forest Preserve, Glenview, Cook County, Illinois, USA
June 18, 2007
Size: ~9mm
This buprestid landed on John's shirt as he was eating lunch in a wet-mesic part of the woods that has a lot of black ash. It was startling when it flew, revealing its bright metallic blue or green abdomen.

Images of this individual: tag all
Small gray and white buprestid - Spectralia gracilipes Small gray and white buprestid - Spectralia gracilipes
Contributed by john and jane balaban on 18 June, 2007 - 6:22pm
Last updated 25 November, 2009 - 11:42am

Moved
Moved from Metallic Wood-boring Beetles.
… john and jane balaban, 19 June, 2007 - 9:35pm

Dicerca sp.
...maybe D. obscura
… Ted C. MacRae, 19 June, 2007 - 10:07am

 
Interesting -
we had passed on Dicerca since all the images in the guide seemed to have those differently shaped elytra posteriors, sort of narrowing down and extending. We didn't see that in this image so we were actually thinking someone would say Chrysobothris of some kind. Shows how little we know about the Buprestidae. This is the first we've photographed and tried to identify!
… john and jane balaban, 19 June, 2007 - 2:22pm

 
Spectralia?
May be a Spectralia species?
… Frank Guarnieri, 19 June, 2007 - 3:13pm

 
you might be right...
...the size would fit better. Spectralia gracilipes is the only eastern U.S. species.
… Ted C. MacRae, 19 June, 2007 - 9:28pm

 
Thanks, Ted and Frank
We like the furrowed pronotum, also.
… john and jane balaban, 19 June, 2007 - 9:34pm

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