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).
Genus Conognatha (few images) |
Genus Dactylozodes (few images) |
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In Chile we can find several species of Anthaxia. Some of them with a very different look compared with Oloarctic species.
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Anthaxia oyarcei |
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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 |