About Buprestis aurulenta Linnaeus, 1767
Buprestis aurulenta, commonly called the golden jewel beetle or golden buprestid, is a species of beetle belonging to the genus Buprestis. The larvae of this species develop inside a wide range of coniferous trees, and are capable of surviving for long periods of time in dry wood. Adult golden jewel beetles have iridescent green bodies, with bright shining orange trim along the entire edges of their wing covers. This beetle is native to western North America, where its range extends through the Pacific Northwest: it reaches as far north as southern British Columbia, and extends south through the Rocky Mountains all the way to Mexico. It is considered rare in Alberta, and verified specimens have also been collected in Manitoba. One unusual out-of-range record notes that a golden jewel beetle emerged from an indoor staircase in Essex, United Kingdom on May 27, 1983, after spending at least 47 years of its life as a larva developing inside the staircase's wood.
