PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The big isle of Papua new Guinea, with its high mountains and its rain forests, is a true paradise for many beetles and, among them, many interesting and endemic Buprestidae. Many genera are common with Northern Australia (Especially Calodema and Metaxymorpha, living on the top of trees (canopy) of rain forests in PNG and Northern Queensland (few species reach New South Wales).

Photo by T.Sainval and T.Lander
Calodema plebejum *
Photo by T.Sainval and T.Lander
Calodema regale blairi *
Photo by T.Sainval and T.Lander
Calodema wallacei *
Photo by T.Sainval and T.Lander
Calodema ribbei *
Photo by T.Sainval and T.Lander
Calodema bifasciata *
Photo by T.Sainval and T.Lander
Metaxymorpha apicalis *
Photo by T.Sainval and T.Lander
Metaxymorpha apicerubra *

Metaxymorpha meeki
Photo by Ulf Nylander
Castiarina meeki *

But the most characteristic papuasic genus is probably Cyphogastra. It differentiated in many different species, most of them living only in Papua New Guinea. Just few species live also in Indonesia islands, like Cyphogastra timoriensis (it reachs China, Hainan Is) or C.javanica. They are particularly remarkable for their unusual morphology and bright and iridescent colours of many species. Here we can see just a very small selection of their forms. Many species are undescribed, and many other are surely unknown.


Cyphogastra foveicollis

Cyphogastra terminata

Cyphogastra violaceiventris


Cyphogastra abdominalis

Cyphogastra javanica

Cyphogastra rollei

Cyphogastra venerea

 
Cyphogastra mac-farlani

 
Cyphogastra albertisi

Cyphogastra fossifrons

Cyphogastra cyanipes

Cyphogastra pisciformis

 
 
Other genera live in New Guinea and, with other species, in many Pacific islands (Solomon Is., Fiji, etc.): Paracupta is the most typical among these "oceanic genera" 

Paracupta auricollis


* Pictures of Calodema plebejum, C.regale blairi, C.wallacei, C.ribbei, C.bifasciata, Metaxymorpha apicalis, M.apicerubra by T.Sainval et T.Lander: Iconographie des especies decrites des genres Calodema et Metaxymorpha - Sciences Nat, Bulletin n° 79 et 81
- Castiarina meeki  - Picture by Ulf Nylander