Coleoptera Buprestidae of Chile and Argentina

Temperate and cold areas of South America, and especially Chile and Argentina, show a very strange population of Buprestidae. They don't have very much to do with other South American species, also if we find some species of Neotropical Buprestid genera. Many species are closely related to Australian Buprestidae, and especially to Stigmodera and Castiarina. We have many Stigmoderini, especially in Chilean Fauna, and there are two common genera: Conognatha and Dactylozodes. Most of them show the typical yellow/black colouration (batesian mimicry).

Conognatha azarae
Genus Conognatha
(few images)
Dactylozodes picta
Genus Dactylozodes
(few images)

 
Anthaxia chloris

In Chile we can find several species of Anthaxia. Some of them with a very different look compared with Oloarctic species.
We can see here Anthaxia chloris and Anthaxia oyarcei.


Anthaxia oyarcei

 
 
Anthaxia concinna
Anthaxia concinna

In this region there are also species more related to Oloarctic ones, like true Anthaxia and some Acmaeodera. We can see here a pair of them.


Acmaeodera asperata

Many other species belong to ancient groups living in almost all the World (Polycestinae, Psilopterinae, etc.). But Chile and Argentina own also many endemic genera, like these (someone with few other South American species, too):
 


Epistomentis vittata

Chalcopoecilia ornata

Achardella denticollis

 

 
Trigonogenium unicolor

Pygicera scripta

Hypophrasis harpagon

 

 
 
Bergidora picturella

 
Philandia valdiviana

Ectinogonia speciosa

 

 
Pterobothris corrosus