Jewel Beetle

  • Updated
    30/10/26
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Banksia Jewel Beetle, Cyria imperialis Click to enlarge image
Banksia Jewel Beetle, Cyria imperialis, is often brightly coloured. Some jewel beetle species have a metallic sheen, making them popular with collectors. Image: CSIRO
© CSIRO

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Family
    Buprestidae
    Super Family
    Buprestoidea
    Suborder
    Polyphaga
    Order
    Coleoptera
    Class
    Insecta
    Subphylum
    Uniramia
    Phylum
    Arthopoda
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Number of Species
    1,200
  • Size Range
    3 mm- 75 mm

Jewel beetles belong to the family Buprestidae, which is a large group with about 1,200 species in Australia.

Identification

Jewel beetles are often brightly coloured, with some species having a metallic sheen that makes them popular with collectors.

Jewel Beetle viewed in side profile, resting on a branch with white blossoms. Its body is marked with black and yellow.
Jewel Beetles, (Family Buprestidae), are often brightly coloured. Some jewel beetle species have a metallic sheen, making them popular with collectors. Image: Bruce Hulbert
© Bruce Hulbert

Habitat

Jewel beetles live in forests and woodlands, heath. Many are found in the Sydney region and can be seen feeding on and flying around flowers in heaths and woodlands. The larvae live in wood or, more rarely, softer plant stems, with some species feeding in dry leaves.

Distribution

Jewel beetles are found throughout Australia.

This map shows species occurrence observations from data recorded in the Atlas of Living Australia.

Human interactions

Economic impacts

On other continents, jewel beetles have been used in clothing, decorative boxes, sculptures and even religious shrines.